Senegalese forward Sadio Mane has been fourth time lucky after been named winner of the 2019 CAF Player of the Year.
At a ceremony staged in Hurghada, Egypt on Tuesday night the Sadio Mane beat off competition from Riyad Mahrez and two-time winner of the award Mohamed Salah due to his stellar performance in the season under review.
Mane was Senegal’s main man at the 2019 AFCON where he netted three goals on the Teranga Lions’ path to the final where they lost by a solitary goal to Algeria.
For his club Liverpool, Mane was just as sensational as he was for Senegal as he played another crucial role aiding them to the UEFA Champions League title for the first time since 2005.
In the English Premier League, Mane shared the Golden Boot crown with Salah and Arsenal’s Gabonese front-man Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, all three having netted 22 times for their respective clubs. On top of that, Mane scored 39 goals across all competitions for Liverpool in the 2018-2019 season.
He also aided Liverpool to their first ever Club World triumph last month.
The Senegalese hitman was also in the top five for the Ballon d’Or, a crown ultimately won by Argentine wizard Lionel Messi.