Liverpool and Senegal forward Sadio Mane has won the 2019 African Player of The Year award, defeating club mate and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah (last year’s winner) and Manchester City and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez.
The event was held at the Albatros Citadel Sahl Hasheesh, Hurghada, Egypt, on Tuesday.
Mane had an eventful 2019 with Liverpool, winning the UEFA Champions League and coming second behind City in the English Premier League. He was also part of the Senegalese team which lost the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of the Nations in Egypt 1-0 to Algeria.
He placed fourth in the 2019 Ballon d’Or behind Lionel Messi, Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze lost the Youth Player of the Year award to Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi.
Super Falcons captain Asisat Oshoala, however, redeemed Nigeria’s image, winning the Women’s Player of The Year award for a record fourth time, equalling compatriot Perpetua Nkwocha’s record.
She overcame strong competition from Cameroon’s Ajara Nchout and South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana to win the award.
Oshoala had earlier claimed the award in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Other award winners are Algeria’s AFCON winning coach Djamel Belmadi, who was crowned Men’s African Coach of the Year, South Africa’s women’s national team coach Diseree Ellis, who won the Women’s African Coach of the Year and Youcef Belaili, who was named the African Inter-clubs Player of the Year award.
Algeria were named the African Men’s Team of The Year, while Cameroon won the Women’s National Team of The Year award. Mahrez’s injury time winner against Nigeria in the semi-final of the 2019 AFCON was adjudged the best goal in the continent in 2019.
2019 AFCON hosts Egypt were named winners of the Federation of The Year award, while TP Mazembe’s Moise Katumbi won the African Club President of the Year award.
The FIFPro Africa Best 11 are Andre Onana (Cameroon), Hakimi, Kalilou Koulibaly (Senegal), Joel Matip (Cameroon), Sergie Aurier (Ivory Coast), Mahrez, Idrissa Gueye (Senegal), Hakim Ziyech (Morocco), Salah, Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon).
Former Togo goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale was given a special award. His career ended after he was severely injured in a bus attack against the Togolese team in the Cabinda Province, Angola, just days before the start of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Post a Comment
Post a Comment