FirstTouch’s Top 5 African Male Ballers of 2019
Sadio Mane of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and West Ham United at Anfield on August 12, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
(Aug. 11, 2018 - Source: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe)
It's that time of when we round-up the year by celebrating select African soccer players who dominated headlines off and on the pitch.
Below, are five of the best who uniquely repped Africa, all around the world
1. Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
The Senegalese international is a clear favorite to win his first ever CAF African Footballer of the year award. Why not, after finishing 4th behind Messi, Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2019 Ballon d'Or voting. The 27-year-old was arguably the best player in the world of the year 2019, clinching the golden boot after scoring 22 Premier League goals and helping Liverpool to a UEFA Champions League title. In his own words, he could have traded the UCL title for the 2019 AFCON which the Teranga Lions went as far as the final, narrowly losing 0-1 to eventual champions Algeria. Don't take my word for it, 2019 Ballon d'Or winner, Lionel Messi thinks it should have been Mane and so does Arsene Wenger, Eden Hazard and Danny Blind who has labeled him the "new Cristiano Ronaldo."
2. Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
He didn't have the Africa Cup of Nations he would have dreamed of as the hosts, Egypt, crashed out of the round-of-16 at the hands of South Africa. Salah, however, continued his blistering goal-scoring form for the Reds, scoring 22 EPL goals just like strike partner Mane. The Egyptian king was also on song as a part of the infamous trio with Firmino and Mane that dominated Europe. The 27-year-old also scored one of the goals for Liverpool in a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the UCL final.
Both Salah and Mane haven't slowed down as they are still firing for Jurgen Klopp's men who remain undefeated in the league and skewing the 2019/20 title race in their favor.
3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Arsenal)
Just like Salah, the Gabonese captain's exploits on home soil proved not very fruitful as the Panthers failed to even make the 32 finalist list of the Egypt AFCON finals. He was, however, a clutch for the struggling Arsenal side that lost the UEFA Europa League final to Chelsea and missed out on the EPL top four by a point. The 30-year-old completed the list of the English top flight best scorers as he also had 22 goals to his name, sharing the golden boot with Liverpool's African striking duo.
He has finished the year with the responsibility of being the Gunners' captain and still loves his goals. Only Jamie Vardy had scored more than Auba in the new Premier League season at the time of writing this piece.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal scores his sides third goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal FC at London Stadium on December 09, 2019 in London, United Kingdom.
(Dec. 8, 2019 - Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe)
4. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
It probably was his best year yet as far as winning is concerned. After winning a historic domestic treble with Manchester City, the 28-year-old immediately switched to his national colors and superbly led the Desert Foxes to their second-ever AFCON title. Most famously, the Algerian captain scored a sublime stoppage time free-kick goal in their 2-1 semi-final victory over the Super Eagles of Nigeria. In the new season, he has become a Champions League ace for Guardiola's men, always involved in the goals.
5. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund)
The 21-year-old Moroccan is the only defender on our list and there's a good reason for that. The Lions of the Atlas were shockingly dumped out of the 2019 AFCON finals by Benin in the round-of-16 after entering the tournament as favorites and winning all their group matches. It could go without notice that in every match he ever played for Morocco, the flying full-back was unplayable. He was in similar form for Dortmund who narrowly missed out on a Bundesliga title, finishing second and has since carried that form into the 2019/20. From a defensive position, Hakimi scored an astonishing 3 goals in the UCL group stages and helped Lucien Favre's men to reach the last-16 at the expense of Inter Milan.
There we go folks, let us know who else you might have wanted to see on the list, or better yet share with us how you would rank them all.