Sadio Mane: Senegal Star named African Player of the Year

Liverpool's Sadio Mane has been named the Confederation of African Football's (Caf) Player of the Year.

The Senegal forward beat Liverpool team-mate and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah and Manchester City's Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez to the award.

Mane, 27, helped the Reds to the 2018-19 Champions League title, scoring 30 goals in all competitions last season.

He has scored 15 goals so far in 2019-20, with Liverpool 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

"I'm really happy and proud to win this. Football is my job, I love it," said Mane.

"I would like to thank my family, my national team, staff, the federation and Liverpool Football Club. It's a big day for me."

Mane collected his award at a ceremony in Hurghada, Egypt but neither Salah, who had won the award in both the past two years, nor Mahrez were present.

Mane has finished in the award's top three for the last three years, and has long targeted the prize in order to emulate the achievement of one of his heroes, former Liverpool striker El Hadji Diouf, who won it in 2002.

Full list of Award Winners

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

Federation of the Year

Egyptian Football Association

Special Award

Kojovi Obilale (former Togolese goalkeeper)

CAF Fifpro Best XI

Goalkeeper: Andre Onana

Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Serge Aurier, Joel Matip, Kalidou Koulibaly

Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye, Riyad Mahrez, Hakim Ziyech

Forwards: Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang