CAF Awards 2019: Sadio Mane Is Africa’s Best Player
Senegalese forward Sadio Mane has won the 2019 CAF African Player of the Year award .
He beats Liverpool ’ s teammate Mohammed Salah and Manchester City’ s Riyad Mahrez to win the award at the annual awards ceremony staged in Hurghada on Tuesday.
Mane has been a finalist in the previous three editions of the CAF Player of the Year , but in all those instances , he never went back home with the coveted piece of silverware .
Mane was Senegal ’ s main man at the 2019 AFCON where he netted three goals on the Teranga Lions’ path to the final where they lost by a solitary goal to Algeria . He netted a brace in the 3 - 0 group phase victory over Kenya and added one more in the round of 16 1 - 0 win over Uganda.
He was also a vital part of the team as they beat Benin and Tunisia in the quarters and semis respectively , his influence playing a big role in Senegal ’ s run to the final.
For his club Liverpool , Mane was just as sensational as he was for Senegal as he played another crucial role aiding them to the UEFA Champions League title for the first time since 2005 .
The forward scored crucial goals , key among them a double over Bayern Munich in a 3 - 1 victory in the round of 16 and once in the aggregate 6 - 1 win over Porto in the quarter-finals as the Reds steamrolled into the final and ultimately bag the Champions League title .
In the English Premier League , Mane shared the Golden Boot crown with Salah and Arsenal ’ s Gabonese front - man Pierre Emerick Aubameyang , all three having netted 22 times for their respective clubs . On top of that , Mane scored 39 goals across all competitions for Liverpool in the 2018- 2019 season .
The forward kept his form into the new campaign and in the season - opening UEFA Super Cup , Mane scored twice in a 2 - 2 draw with Chelsea , a game they ultimately won 5 - 4 on penalties to pick up yet another trophy.
At the just concluded FIFA Club World Cup in Doha , Qatar , Mane laid up the assist for Roberto Firmino ’ s winning goal in the final against Flamengo . The Senegalese hitman was also in the top five for the Ballon d’ Or, a crown ultimately won by Lionel Messi.
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