This archive report was first published on 8 January 2020.
On January 8, 2020, Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was named the Confederation of African Football's (Caf) Player of the Year.
The 27-year-old Senegalese forward beat Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah and Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez to the award.
Mane has had a remarkable season, helping the Reds to the 2018-19 Champions League title and scoring 30 goals in all competitions last season.
He has continued to impress this season, scoring 15 goals so far in 2019-20, with Liverpool 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Mane collected his award at a ceremony in Hurghada, Egypt, but neither Salah, who had won the award in both the past two years, nor Mahrez were present.
Mane has finished in the award's top three for the last three years, and has long targeted the prize in order to emulate the achievement of one of his heroes, former Liverpool striker El Hadji Diouf, who won it in 2002.
Mane expressed his gratitude to his family, national team, staff, the federation, and Liverpool Football Club, saying, 'I'm really happy and proud to win this. Football is my job, I love it.'
