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  • Sadio Mane, Asisat Oshoala win African Player of the Year awards | Football News

    Sadio Mane, Asisat Oshoala win African Player of the Year awards | Football News

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    The Senegal forward is crowned African Player of the Year after helping his country win the first AFCON title.

    Sadio Mane has been named African Footballer of Year after a season that saw him kick the winning penalty for Senegal as they claimed their first Africa Cup of Nations title and repeat the feat when they secured the World Cup qualification.

    The 30-year-old forward player, who signed a three-year deal with German giants Bayern Munich last month, won the award for the first time in 2019 while he was at English side Liverpool.

    “I am really honoured and highly delighted to receive this award again,” Mane said on Thursday. “Thanks to my coaches, my club and national team colleagues and those friends who stood by me during difficult times.”

    “I dedicate this award to the youth of Senegal. I’m very emotional and don’t have the words to express how I’m feeling,” he added.

    Nigerian Asisat Oshoala won the Women’s Player of the Year for a record fifth time, overtaking compatriot Perpetua Nkwocha.

    The 27-year-old Barcelona forward was forced to miss the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco due to an injury.

    sadio mane
    Sadio Mane joined Liverpool in 2016 from Southampton; last month, he signed for Bayern Munich [File: Pablo Morano/Reuters]

    Mane was in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, to receive the award after a dash across the Atlantic having converted a penalty for his new club in a 6-2 pre-season friendly win over DC United in Washington on Wednesday.

    He won ahead of former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah from Egypt and fellow Senegal international and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

    Mane and Salah played pivotal roles last season with Liverpool, who lifted the FA Cup and English League Cup and finished runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League.

    Salah has since signed a new contract at Anfield while Mane opted for a move, with Bayern reportedly paying an initial 32 million euros ($32.5m) that could rise to 41 million euros ($41.7m).

    In February, Mane converted the decisive fifth penalty to give Senegal a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Egypt and a first Africa Cup of Nations title after the final ended 0-0 in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital.

    A month later, Mane was once again the shoot-out match-winner against Egypt, this time in a World Cup playoff near Senegal’s capital, Dakar, after a 1-1 aggregate impasse.

    Bayern Munich's Senegalese new forward Sadio Mane (2L) with his jersey poses next to Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn (L), President Herbert Hainer (2ndR) and Sporting Director Hasan Salihamidzic during a press conference after he signed a three-year deal with German first division football club FC Bayern Munich, in Munich, southern Germany
    Bayern Munich confirmed the signing of Sadio Mane from Liverpool on June 22 [File: Christof Stache/AFP]

    Born in a village nearly 400km (250 miles) from Dakar, Mane attracted the attention of Metz having played for local second-tier club Generation Foot.

    After enhancing his reputation at Salzburg, Mane joined Southampton, where his feats included scoring a record-breaking 176-second Premier League hat-trick against Aston Villa.

    In mid-2016, the Senegalese signed for Liverpool and went on to form a fearsome front three with Salah and Brazilian Roberto Firmino.

    As Mane moved to Bayern, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “My only criticism of Sadio is that maybe at times he is the only one not to realise just how good he is.”

    Sadio Mane after winning the African Footballer of the Year award
    Mane won the award for the second time in his career [Abdelhak Balhaki/Reuters]

    Football: African awards winners

    Men

    Player of the Year: Sadio Mane (Senegal)

    Club Player of the Year: Mohamed el Shenawy (Al Ahly/Egypt)

    Young Player of the Year: Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)

    Coach of the Year: Aliou Cisse (Senegal)

    National Team of the Year: Senegal

    Club of the Year: Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)

    Goal of the Year: Pape Ousmane Sakho (Senegal, Simba/TAN)

    Women

    Player of the Year: Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria)

    Club Player of the Year: Evelyn Badu (Avaldsnes/Norway, Ghana)

    Young Player of the Year: Badu

    Coach of the Year: Desiree Ellis (South Africa)

    Club of the Year: Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

    National Team of the Year: To be announced after Cup of Nations final between Morocco and South Africa in Rabat on Saturday

    Asisat Oshoala
    Asisat Oshoala poses with the trophy next to CAF President Patrice Motsepe (left), after winning the Women’s Player of the Year award [AFP]

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  • Africa: Superstars Sadio Mané and Mo Salah Eclipse African Football At Home

    Africa: Superstars Sadio Mané and Mo Salah Eclipse African Football At Home

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    Senegal’s Sadio Mané and Egypt’s Mo Salah are among 10 players nominated for the African Footballer of the Year prize at this year’s Caf Awards held by the Confederation of African Football in Rabat, Morocco.

    Both players rose to global prominence playing for Liverpool in the English Premier League, propelling the club to three champions league finals and winning a title. Both have won Caf player of the year before, Salah twice in 2017 and 2018, and Mané once in 2019. Now Mané is poised to even the score at 2-2.

    Star forwards, their pursuits on the field are the stuff of fame and constant headlines. Mané grew up in the village of Bambali, Senegal and began his professional career at 19. Salah was born in Basyoun, Egypt and was also a football-loving child. He signed his first contract with a local club at 14. As African players shine in Europe, they are at the front of the changing face of international football.

    There are thousands of African players like them, born and raised in humble circumstances with football offering a rare escape from poverty. Each of these players aspires to hold trophies in their hands. While Salah and Mané pave the way, the constant media attention on the exploits of African players in Europe tends to downplay the heroic exploits of African-based stars in national leagues and Pan African club competitions.

    This lack of visibility could create an impression that top class football is played only in Europe. While Mané and Salah bring headlines to the 2022 prize, there are several other awards on the night that help highlight the talent working at home.

    Mané or Salah?

    Mané has been reigning Caf player of the year since 2019 as the COVID pandemic and schedule changes postponed it for two years. Having recently joined Bayern Munich in Germany from Liverpool in the UK, he is one of several Africans playing in the English Premier League who made the 2022 shortlist. In fact five of the ten do.

    Mané is the favourite to win again this year after leading Senegal to glory for the first time at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in February. The country also qualified for the World Cup Qatar 2022. Mané was voted best player of Afcon.

    However, Salah also has strong credentials. A great season saw him win top scorer and player with the most goal assists in the Premier League. He was the Professional Footballers’ Association and Player Writer’s footballer of the year, beating Mané.

    But given the fact that this award is for a player who best represents African football, it would be an upset if Mané’s national accomplishments at Afcon would not prevail over the individual accolades for Salah.

    The other contenders

    While Mané and Salah are standout candidates, flying below the radar for CAF’s male footballer of the year is Senegal and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. This season he was in the winning teams at the FIFA Club World Cup, AFCON and the UEFA Supercup. He was World’s Best Goalkeeper in 2021. Although goalkeeping is not a high profile position, Mendy’s performance credentials make him a favourite. Should he win he would be only the third goalkeeper to do so and the first since 1986.

    The English Premier League dominates the shortlist when it comes to clubs, but when it comes to countries Senegal comes out on top with three players. Cameroon has two and Egypt, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Algeria each have one. Geographically speaking, West and Central Africa edge out North Africa. Despite Ghana, Nigeria, Tunisia and South Africa having a high sporting profile, they are nowhere on the list.

    African clubs miss out

    The last time an African-based player won player of the year was Egypt’s Mahmoud El Khatib. The last four decades have witnessed a complete transformation in the African football and global football landscapes. Most African stars ply their trade in Europe where they are paid millions of dollars. It’s hard for an African club to house a player that can replicate El Khatib’s accomplishment. It is regrettable that excelling in Europe increasingly provides a more compelling case to be voted a CAF player of the year.