African player of the year 2022: the ten finalists are known

One of these ten players will be named African Player of the Year 2022. © Photos AP, montage RFI

Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow

6 mins

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reduced the number of contenders for the title of African Player of the Year 2022 from 30 to ten. Three Senegalese African champions, including defending champion Sadio Mané, are among them.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Rabat on July 21.

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Who will be the new African Player of the Year?

The prestigious prize is back after two canceled editions – those of 2020 and 2021 – due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sadio Mané, winner in 2019, will he keep his title, like his compatriot El-Hadji Diouf in 2001 and 2002?

The Senegalese is one of the favorites for this 2022 vintage.

CAF had unveiled a

 end of June.

This Monday, July 11, this list has been reduced to ten names.

The Burkinabè Edmond Tapsoba, Bertrand Traoré and Blati Touré, the Cameroonian André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, the Comorian Youssouf M'Changama, the Ivorian Franck Kessié, the Egyptians Mohamed Abdelmonem, Mohamed Elneny and Mohamed Shenawy, the Gambian Musa Barrow, the Malians Yves Bissouma, Aliou Dieng and Hamari Traoré, Moroccans Sofiane Boufal, Yassine Bounou and Yahya Jabrane, Nigerian Moses Simon, Senegalese Saliou Ciss and Nampalys Mendy and Tunisian Ali Maaloul are not among them.

Presentation of the ten players who will run for the title of African Player of the Year in Rabat on 21 July.

Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon/Al-Nassr)

He was the top scorer of the CAN played at home with 8 goals, the second best total tied with the Ivorian Laurent Pokou during the CAN 1970 and behind the 9 goals of the Congolese Ndaye Mulamba during the CAN 1974.

was the guide of the Indomitable Lions and led much of the revolt that led Cameroon

.

The striker could be the first Cameroonian to be crowned African Player of the Year after Patrick Mboma (2000) and Samuel Eto'o (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010).

Karl Toko-Ekambi (Cameroon / Olympique Lyonnais)

Second top scorer in CAN with 5 goals, Karl Toko-Ekambi was the perfect complement to captain Aboubakar during the competition.

He entered a little more in the hearts of the supporters on March 29 by going to register, in additional time of the extension, the goal which allowed Cameroon to beat Algeria in Blida and to snatch the

.

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain)

Indisputable in the PSG eleven since his arrival from Inter Milan last summer, Achraf Hakimi also distinguished himself during the CAN under the colors of Morocco.

Already very noticed on the field thanks to his speed and his endurance, the right side showed that he also had a

with two goals scored from splendid free kicks.

Sébastien Haller (Ivory Coast/Ajax Amsterdam and Borussia Dortmund)

Ivorian international for a year and a half, the striker has burst the screen in the Champions League with Ajax.

He scored a hat-trick in his first game and became the fastest player to reach the 10-goal mark in the competition after just six games.

Sébastien Haller finally brought his total to 11 achievements.

The striker has just signed

, who paid almost 35 million euros for him.

The Elephant is to succeed Erling Haaland, who left for Manchester City.

Naby Keïta (Guinea/Liverpool)

Despite a season a little disrupted by knee and hamstring injuries, Naby Keïta remains a key element of the system put in place by Jürgen Klopp in Liverpool.

At 27, the midfielder remains

.

Small flat: this suspension during the CAN which deprived the captain of the national Syli of the round of 16 lost against Gambia.

Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Naples)

The rock of the Senegalese defense is as appreciated in his country as in Italy, where he has been shining for eight years now.

A pillar of the Napoli rearguard,

received the captain's armband at the start of the year after the departure of Lorenzo Insigne.

While he has one year left on his contract, the 31-year-old African champion is faced with a dilemma: respond to the sirens of the big clubs or stay at Napoli, where he is unanimous.

Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City)

If he had a terrible start to the year with the Fennecs, between elimination in the first round of the CAN and non-qualification for the 2022 World Cup, Riyad Mahrez was more successful with Manchester City.

The attacking midfielder has just signed his most successful season on a personal level since wearing the Cityzens jersey (14 goals and 9 assists in 48 matches) and

.

Coach Pep Guardiola and the Mancunian leaders are so satisfied that they are, according to several media, on the verge of offering him a contract extension until 2025.

Sadio Mané (Senegal/Liverpool and Bayern Munich)

Winner in 2019, Sadio Mané is the favorite for his own succession, while he remains on the last grandiose months.

Best player in the CAN, he guided the Lions of Teranga to their first continental title, with the added bonus of the shot on goal in the final victory against Egypt.

The striker also qualified his team for the next World Cup by still being irreproachable against the same Pharaohs in the decisive shot on goal.

And after six full years at Liverpool, the Senegalese has just taken a new turn

.

Edouard Mendy (Senegal/Chelsea)

After having won the Champions League hands down in 2021 with Chelsea, where he is the indisputable starting goalkeeper, Édouard Mendy was

during the CAN.

During the penalty shootout in the final, his decisive save against Mohanad Lasheen offered the title ball to Sadio Mané behind.

Quite naturally, the Senegalese goalkeeper was named the best goalkeeper of the competition.

And he gave a few more arguments to those who believe he is the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment.

Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)

And three for the Pharaoh?

African player of the year in 2017 and 2018, Mohamed Salah is still in the running.

The striker, who has extended his contract with Liverpool,

by scoring a lot and distributing a number of assists with the Reds in 2021-2022.

With 156 goals scored in the space of five seasons, the Egyptian has entered the top 10 goalscorers in Liverpool history, and he will soon surpass the likes of Michael Owen and Kenny Dalglish.

Unfortunately for him, Mohamed Salah hasn't had the same success with Egypt this year.

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