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Egypt’s Mohamed Salah has made the final three-man shortlist for this year’s African Player of the Year award alongside Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The final three is an exact repeat of last year’s shortlist, which saw Mohamed Salah winning it for the first time in his career, with Sadio Mane and Aubameyang coming in second and third places respectively.
Mohamed Salah had an astonishing season with Liverpool, breaking the Premier League all-time scoring record in a single season with 32 goals and many other records with the Reds.
He also led Liverpool to the Champions League final, before helping his side to end the year on top of the Premier League table, seven points ahead of second-placed Man City.
The Egyptian was also crowned as the best player in the Premier League last season and finished 6th in the Ballon d’Or ranking.
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Meanwhile, Mane was also influential in Liverpool’s success, scoring in the UEFA Champions League final as well as the 2018 World Cup, which saw his nation missing out on qualifying for the round of 16 on goal difference.
Gabon international and Arsenal Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been included in the top three finalists for the fifth time in a row, equaling the record of Yaya Toure and Michael Essien.
The forward is currently the Premier League top goalscorer, and has been a key player of the Gunners since his move from Borussia Dortmund last January.
Both Mohamed Salah and Aubameyang have won the accolade once before, unlike Mane, who will hope to become the first Senegalese to claim the award since El-Hadji Diouf in 2002.
The winner will be announced in a ceremony which will be held at an awards gala on 8 January in Dakar, Senegal.
