The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released a 30-man shortlist for the 2019 African Player of the Year award, with Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane included.
Mohamed Salah is targeting a third consecutive African Player of the Year trophy after being named on the preliminary list of nominees for the 2019 award.
Salah defended his crown last year after scoring 44 goals for Liverpool and Egypt in 2018 and finishing as the 2017-18 Premier League Golden Boot winner with 32 goals.
But Sadio Mané is making a strong case for the title.
Salah, 27, is facing stiff competition for this year’s honour from his own Reds team-mate Mané. The Senegal international was joint top scorer in the Premier League last season with 22 goals alongside Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has also been named on the 30-strong list.
Your African Player of the Year Nominees 🌍🏅
Who'll win the prestigious award? 🏆 #CAFAwards2019 pic.twitter.com/vRhPh3IAz7
— CAF (@CAF_Online) November 24, 2019
Other candidates completing the list
Manchester City and Algeria forward Riyad Mahrez, who won the award in 2016, is also included on the list announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Aubameyang’s Arsenal colleague Nicolas Pépé of Ivory Coast is another player on the list, along with Leicester City’s Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and Paris Saint-Germain’s Idrissa Gueye, who represents Senegal.
Other prominent Europe-based players nominated are Ajax duo André Onana and Hakim Ziyech, Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, Atlético de Madrid’s Thomas Partey and Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha.