Top 5 candidates for the African Player Of The Year Award In 2017

1, Sadio Mane

The Liverpool forward is the Prime candidate for the award. His contributions to the team in the previous campaign cannot be overlooked. He quickly adapted to his new environment and became the most influential player for the Reds last season. His performances ensured Liverpool qualified for the UEFA champions league. Rightfully, Mane is considered to be the man to beat in the award. Not many players can produce the magic and manipulate the ball like him and he has already scored 3 goals and assisted 1 in Liverpool's current campaign and remains a strong favorite to win this year's edition of the award.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Nived Zenith