CAF crowns Sadio Mane African footballer of the year

…full list of awardees

Senegal’s Sadio Mane has beaten Mohamed Salah, his colleague in Liverpool, and Riyad Mahrez of Algeria, to be crowned 2019 Confederation of African Football (CAF) player of the year.

The continent awards which celebrate African footballers and officials who have distinguished themselves during 2019 saw Mane win the prestigious award on Tuesday night — after his fourth attempt.

The Senegalese was finalist in the previous three editions of the CAF Player of the Year, but in all those instances, he never went back home with the coveted piece of silverware.

The winners for each category were announced during the CAF Awards ceremony at the Albatros Citadel Sahl Hasheesh, Hurghada, Egypt.

Super Eagles duo of Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze lost the youth category award to Achraf Hakimi of Morocco.

Asisat Oshoala, Super Falcons forward, dethroned 2018 winner, Thembi Kgtlana of South Africa and Cameroon’s Ajara Nchout to claim her fourth best women’s player gong.

Desiree Ellis, coach of Banyana Banyana of South Africa, once again beat Alain Djeumfa and Thomas Dennerby of Cameroon and Nigeria respectively to the women’s coach of the Year gong.

Here is the full list of winners in all the categories below:

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

Goal of the Year
Riyad Mahrez

Best Federation of the Year
Egypt FA

Special Award
Kodjovi Obilale (Togo)

Africa Best XI
Andrey Onana, Achraf Hakimi, Kalidou Koulibaly, Joel Matip, Serge Aurier, Riyad Mahrez, Idrissa Gueye, Hakim Ziyech, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang

(Cable) Cover Photo: AFP