The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the three finalists that will battle it out for the 2022 African Football of the Year award.
One of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Edouard Mendy will be the winner at the gala scheduled for July 21 in the Moroccan city of Rabat.
The two strikers are the favourites to take the award, as Salah and Mane were key players for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
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Both men won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, while also finishing runners-up to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
They also finished runners-up in the Premier League, losing the title to Manchester City on the final day of the season.
Mane’s bid is aided by the fact that he helped Senegal defeat Salah’s Egypt in the 2022 Africa Cup of National final.
The Lions of Teranga came out on top in a penalty shootout, in which Mendy proved instrumental.
However, despite being the first-choice goalkeeper for Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, the 30-year-old didn’t achieve as much club success as his rivals.
Chelsea lost the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals to Mane and Salah’s Liverpool, while their Premier League challenge fell short after a strong start to the season.
Other awards
The CAF will also hand out awards for Goal of the Year, African team, National team, Coach, Young Player, Interclub Player and Player of the Year for both men and women.
