Sadio Mane has become the 10th player to win the African Footballer of the Year award more than once.
The Senegal icon was announced as the 2022 winner at the Confederation of African Football's awards ceremony inRabat, Moroccoon Thursday.
Mane was in Morocco to collect his award in person, less than 24 hours after making his Bayern debut in the United States.
Mane topped the vote ahead of former Liverpool teammate Mo Salah and Chelsea's Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Salah was the standout player in England's Premier League last season, winning the Golden Boot with 23 goals and topping the assists chart with 13.
But Mane, who left Liverpool to sign for Bayern in June, twice got the better of Salah at international level.
Mane's Senegal beat Salah's Egypt in theAfrica Cup of Nations final in February and then again in a World Cup qualification play-off in March.
Mendy also played a key role in Senegal's success, as well as becoming a Club World Cup champion with Chelsea in February.
The 30-year-old is the first goalkeeper to make the top three in an African Footballer of the Year vote since 2014 when Vincent Enyeama came third.
Mane is the sixth player to have been namedAfrican Footballer of the Year on exactly two occasions. The others are Salah, Didier Drogba, Roger Milla, Nwankwo Kanuand El Hadji Diouf.
George Weahand Abedi Pele are both three-time winners, while Samuel Eto'oand Yaya Toure have won the award four times each.
FAQs
In 2022, he was crowned African Player of the Year for the second time. Mané also represented his nation at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in its second-ever appearance in the competition.
Who is the current African best player of the year? ›
With Victor Osimhen recently crowned as the CAF 2023 Men's Player of The Year award, PUNCH Online highlights the full list of all male players honoured with the continent's most prestigious football award.
How did Sadio Mane help Senegal? ›
Mane is also said to have provided a stipend of 70 euros a month – the equivalent of the minimum wage in Senegal - for every family in his old neighbourhood which has a population of around 2,000 people. In March 2020, the devout Muslim also provided around £41,000 for Senegal's national committee fighting Covid-19.
Why did Sadio Mane miss World Cup? ›
Senegal forward Sadio Mane is out of the World Cup due to a leg injury he sustained while playing for Bayern Munich. The 30-year-old picked up an injury to his right fibula in Bayern's 6-1 Bundesliga win over Werder Bremen last Tuesday.
Who is the richest footballer in Africa? ›
With an estimated net worth of $95 million, retired Cameroonian professional football player Samuel Eto'o is the richest African football player of all time. Throughout his career, he received multiple individual and team honors, including four times as the African Footballer of the Year.
How many times has Salah won African Best? ›
Mohamed Salah won the award twice in a row, in 2017 and 2018.
How many Nigerian players have won African Footballer of the Year? ›
Thus, Victor Osimhen is the fifth Nigerian to win the coveted award. The new Football King was only months old when Super Eagles legend, Nwankwo Kanu, won CAF Player of the Year in 1999, and since then, no Nigerian footballer has won the award.
Who is the best female footballer in Africa? ›
Oshoala was adjudged the best African female football player in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022. Nigeria's Chiamaka Nnadozie also won the women's Goalkeeper of the Year prize.
Who did Sadio Mane marry? ›
Why is Sadio Mane so popular? ›
Sadio Mane won multiple trophies and broke multiple records during his time at Liverpool. By scoring an astonishing 111 goals during his time at the club he stood behind only Mo Salah in terms of goals scored among active players. His goals had helped his side win big games and win trophies.
Sadio Mane has helped raise the standard of living in his native village by providing several amenities and even a monthly allowance to each member. The former Liverpool star also contributed significantly to Senegal's efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic.
How old is Manes' wife? ›
Whether Mane's wife will follow in the footsteps of Ronaldo's significant other and don the Saudi side's shirt in the crowd remains to be seen. Aisha, 18, married ex- Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward Mane, 31, in an Islamic arranged marriage ceremony in Keur Massar, near Dakar, Senegal, on January 7.
What did Sadio Mane injure? ›
Sadio Mané's road to recovery - a recap
In mid-November, Mané injured his right fibula in the 6-1 Bundesliga win over Werder Bremen. That was followed by an operation, in which a tendon had to be reattached. For the African Footballer of the Year, the dream of playing in the World Cup in Qatar was over.
What injury does Mane have? ›
WHAT HAPPENED? Mane suffered a lower leg injury just before the World Cup, and had surgery to fix a tendon in his right tibia. The Senegal international has made a quick recovery, and is back to ball work, but isn't expected to be available until the end of the month.
Has Sadio Mane won African best? ›
Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane claimed the 2022 African Player of the Year award Thursday, beating his former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
How many Nigerians has won African Footballer of the Year? ›
Nigeria won five times in the first seven years of the award. Yekini was the first Nigerian to win the CAF African Footballer of the Year award.
Has Sadio Mane won the African Cup of Nations? ›
FILE — Sadio Mane looks at the trophy after winning after the Africa Cup of Nations final against Egypt at Stade d'Olembe in Yaounde, Cameroon, on Feb. 6, 2022. Mane helped Senegal secure their first AFCON trophy after converting the winning penalty in the final shootout against Egypt.
