Reigning African champions and Player of the Year Sadio Mane has been shortlisted in the final 3-man list for the 2022 CAF Player of the Year Award.
The Senegal forward will be on the podium again after having an impressive 2021/22 season where he inspired his national team to winning the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy in Cameroon and also helped Senegal qualify for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup at the expense of Egypt.
The now Bayern Munich forward will face off with former club teammate Mohamed Salah and international teammate Edouard Mendy as he seeks to win his second African Footballer of the Year Award.
CAF release 3-man shortlist for 2022 African Player of the Year
Organisers of the Awards, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the final three-man shortlist on Wednesday morning through an official press statement on their website ahead of the awards gala on Thursday.
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CAF has thus pruned the previous 10-man shortlist down to just three players who have been adjudged as the most excellent players on the continent in the past year.
Winner of the 2018 Award, Salah is up for the award again after finishing behind Mane in the 2019 edition.
Senegalese goalkeeper Mendy becomes the latest goalkeeper to make the final 3-man shortlist since Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama did in 2014.
Salah and Mane go head-to-head again
Former Liverpool teammates Salah and Mane are set to battle for the same title again in 2022 as the CAF African Footballer of Year awards pits them against each other again.
Both forwards faced each other in the final of the 2021 AFCON in February with Senegal clinching the title as Mane scored the decisive penalty that gave the Aliou Cisse-led team a much-awaited AFCON trophy.
One month later, Senegal and Egypt faced off again in the final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Senegal edged the North Africans to pick a ticket to the Mundial with Mane playing a crucial role again.
Now at Bayern Munich, Mane will seek to get another one over Salah this year as the Senegalese talisman aims to become the first Senegalese player to win back-to-back African Footballer of the Year awards since El Hadji Diouf did in 2000 & 2001.