Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Manchester City striker Riyadh Mahrez are among the final three players for the 2019 Africa Player of the Year award. Winners will be announced at the CAF Awards in Hurghada, Egypt, on 7 January 2020.
Salah (from Egypt) and Mane (Senegal) helped win Liverpool to win the 2019 Club World Cup trophy at the Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar, Saturday (21/12/2019).
Mohamed Salah was chosen to be the Best Player of the Tournament based on FIFA Technical Study Group observations. Algerian striker Riyad Mahrez also competes to be the best in Africa.
The winner will be determined by a voter vote consisting of the head coach / technical director of the African national team, and the captain of the senior national team of the CAF member organization association.
Salah won the African Player of the Year award for each of the last two years. Whereas Mahrez got it in 2016 when he brought Leicester City the 2015/2016 Premier League champions. Mane seems to be Salah’s closest competitor after success with Liverpool, he also helped Senegal reach the Africa Cup final, when they were beaten by Algeria 0-1.
In the African women’s football category, Cameroonian Ajara Nchout, Nigerian striker (Barcelona club) Asisat Oshoala, and last year’s winner Thembi Kgatlana from South Africa were selected as candidates for the 2019 Best African Women’s Player award.
