Liverpool star Sadio Mane was crowned on Tuesday as Africa’s 2019 Player of the Year for the first time at an awards gala in Egypt on Tuesday.
Mane has been a finalist in the previous three editions of the CAF Player of the Year.
The 27-year old Senegalese striker beat Liverpool’s teammate Mohammed Salah and Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez to win the award at the annual awards ceremony staged in Hurghada.
“I am really happy and at the same time I am really proud to win this award,” said Mane at the ceremony organised by the Confederation of African Football in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Hurghada.
“It’s a big day for me.”
According to CAF statistics, Mane scored 34 goal and produced 12 assists in 61 appearances in 2019.
Other male awards went to Algerian coach Djamel Belmadi, Algerian Youcef Belaili for African Interclubs Player of the Year and Algeria’s national team.
The award for the youth category was given to Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi of Borussia Dortmund.
Female awardees included Nigerian Asisat Oshoala, South African coach Desiree Ellis, and Cameroon’s women national team.
The Egyptian Football Association won the Federation of the Year award.
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