Senegalese and Liverpool mercurial player Sadio Mane has won the 2019 African Player of the Year award.
He won the prestigious award for the first time in a ceremony held in Cairo this evening.
Mane beat compatriot and club mate Mohammed Salah of Egypt-winner in 2017 and 2018 and Algerian Riyad Mahrez who plays for English champions Manchester City.
Votes from head coaches/technical directors and captains of the senior national teams from CAF’s member associations saw Mane selected as the continent’s best footballer in 2019.
Liverpool’s No.10 collected the accolade at a ceremony in Egypt on Tuesday and was also named in the FIFPro Africa Best XI for 2019, alongside Salah and Joel Matip.
It was a successful calendar year for the 27-year-old as he ended the 2018-19 season by winning the Champions League and Premier League Golden Boot award.
Barcelona forward Asisat Oshoala also picked up the top award for African Women’s Player of the Year after an outstanding calendar year.
Algeria’s Djamel Belmadi was rewarded for his side’s CAF Africa Cup of Nations victory by being named the African Men’s Coach of the Year, after Desiree Ellis was named the African Women’s Coach of the Year for her South African side’s exploits at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019.
CAF Awards 2019 winners
African Interclubs Player of the Year: Youcef Belaïli (Algeria & Esperance / Ahli Jeddah)
African Youth Player of the Year: Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund)
African Women’s National Team of the Year: Cameroon
African Men’s National Team of the Year: Algeria
Best African Goal of the Year: Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
FIFPro Africa’s Best 11: Andre Onana; Serge Aurier, Joel Matip, Kalidou Koulibaly, Achraf Hakimi; Idrissa Gana Gueye, Riyad Mahrez, Hakim Ziyech; Mohamed Salah, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Sadio Mane
African Women’s Coach of the Year: Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
African Men’s Coach of the Year: Djamel Belmadi (Algeria)
Club President of the Year: Moise Katumbi (TP Mazembe)
African Women’s Player of the Year: Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona)
African Player of the Year: Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
Source: classfmonline.com
