Entertainment
Behold the King and Queen of African Football: Sadio Mane and Asisat Oshoala
Last night was quite a remarkable one for Sadio Mane and Asisat Oshoala as the emerged winners of the 2022 African Players of the Year in Rabat, Morocco.
The two stars plying their trade in Bayern Munich and Barcelona picked up the award in the CAF ceremony in Morocco, with Oshoala winning the female version and Mane, the men’s version.
The 27 year old Asisat Oshoala won the award ahead of Ajara Nchout Njoya of Cameroon and Inter Milan, and Grace Chanda of Zambia and BIIK Kazygurt, whereas the 30 year old Mane won the prize ahead of Egypt and former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah and Senegal teammate, Edouard Mendy.
Oshoala now holds the record of having won the award 5 times more than any other woman in the continent, overtaking countryman Perpetua Nkwocha who had won it then a record 4 times.
The Barcelona forward follows in the footsteps of 3 other Nigerian women to win the award making her the fourth after Mercy Akide in 2001, Nkwocha in 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011, and Cynthia Uwak who won it in 2006 and 2007.
The award is Sadio Mane’s second time winning it making him the 5th African male after El Hadji Diouf, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure and Mohamed Salah to win it in consecutive years since CAF took over its distribution in 1992.
The 2021-22 campaign was arguably Oshoala’s best yet as she played a key role in her Spanish side’s treble charge – the Spanish Women’s Super Cup, Copa de la Reina and the Primera Division.
Barcelona were close to winning a quadruple, but lost 3-1 to Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League final at the Juventus Stadium in Turin.
Mane, meanwhile, enjoyed a superb 2021-22 season with Liverpool before heading for Bayern Munich in a €41 million transfer, after helping the Reds win the English FA Cup and Carabao Cup while playing a crucial role in their Champions League runners-up finish.
He scored 16 Premier League goals, two in the FA Cup and five in the Champions League for an overall 33 goals and five assists season.
On the international scene, Mane propelled Senegal to win their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title, even scoring the crucial penalty in the final against Egypt and also helping Senegal to the World Cup against Egypt.
