Sadio Mane named Africa’s Player of the Year
Sadio Mane has been named Africa's Player of the Year for 2022. The FC Bayern attacker received the award on Thursday evening in Rabat, Morocco. He won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal in February, scoring three goals and providing two assists on the way to the final, where he also netted the decisive penalty in the shootout victory over Egypt. The 30-year-old also led Senegal to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Mane was previously named Africa's Player of the Year in 2019.
FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer:"Congratulations to Sadio Mane on once again being named Africa's Player of the Year. He's an absolutely exceptional player and above all a great person, who's a wonderful ambassador for his homeland Senegal, for the whole of football, as well as for FC Bayern and the whole Bundesliga."
FC Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn:"We're delighted about Sadio Mane's award. FC Bayern has never before in its long history had an African Player of the Year in its ranks. This is a special honour for our club. We're very proud that he now plays for this club and we have a lot of big goals with him."
FC Bayern board member for sport Hasan Salihamidzic:"Sadio Mane is a world-class player, a super guy, grounded with a fantastic mentality. He deserves the award as Africa's Player of the Year. I'm pleased for him and his family. Sadio led Senegal to the Cup of Nations title, is a winner who is a real boost for FC Bayern. He'll take on a very important role in our team and help us to achieve our goals in a challenging season, which includes the World Cup in December."
Mane left for the CAF Awards after Bayern's 6-2 pre-season friendly win over DC United, where he scored the opening goal. The 30-year-old will now return to Munich and not to the Audi Summer Tour in the USA.
Mane was joined by fellow debutant Matthijs de Ligt among the goalscorers in Washington:
