Sadio Mane: Senegal Star named African Player of the Year
Liverpool's Sadio Mane has been named the Confederation of African Football's (Caf) Player of the Year.
The Senegal forward beat Liverpool team-mate and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah and Manchester City's Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez to the award.
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Mane, 27, helped the Reds to the 2018-19 Champions League title, scoring 30 goals in all competitions last season.
He has scored 15 goals so far in 2019-20, with Liverpool 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
"I'm really happy and proud to win this. Football is my job, I love it," said Mane.
"I would like to thank my family, my national team, staff, the federation and Liverpool Football Club. It's a big day for me."
Mane collected his award at a ceremony in Hurghada, Egypt but neither Salah, who had won the award in both the past two years, nor Mahrez were present.
Mane has finished in the award's top three for the last three years, and has long targeted the prize in order to emulate the achievement of one of his heroes, former Liverpool striker El Hadji Diouf, who won it in 2002.
Full list of Award Winners
African Player of the Year
Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
African Women’s Player of the Year
Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona)
African Interclubs Player of the Year
Youcef Belaïli (Algeria & Esperance / Ahli Jeddah)
African Youth Player of the Year
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund)
African Men’s Coach of the Year
Djamel Belmadi (Algeria - Algeria)
African Women’s Coach of the Year
Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
African Men’s National Team of the Year
Algeria
African Women’s National Team of the Year
Cameroon
Federation of the Year
Egyptian Football Association
Special Award
Kojovi Obilale (former Togolese goalkeeper)
CAF Fifpro Best XI
Goalkeeper: Andre Onana
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Serge Aurier, Joel Matip, Kalidou Koulibaly
Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye, Riyad Mahrez, Hakim Ziyech
Forwards: Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
