AFOTY: It’s Mane or Salah! Why Wenger thinks Mahrez doesn’t stand a chance

The 2019 African Footballer of the Year (AFOTY) award winner will be decided today (Tuesday) at the Albatros Citadel Sahl Hasheesh, Hurghada in Egypt.

As the foremost annual football awards ceremony in the continent draws near, some big names in the sport are predicting who would go home with the biggest award of the night.

Contending for the 2019 AFOTY are Liverpool duo of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah alongside Manchester City forward, Riyad Mahrez.

A former Arsenal manager and current FIFA chief, Arsene Wenger has predicted that the award will be between Mane and Salah, suggesting that Mahrez does not stand a chance.

In his words to TimeSports TV channel, Wenger said: “In my opinion, the competition is between Salah and Mane.”

Read Also: CAF Awards 2019: All you need to know ahead tonight’s ceremony

While Mahrez won the English Premier League with Manchester City last season, Liverpool duo of Mane and Salah helped their club finish second in the league, and also winning the UEFA Champions League.

However at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosted in Egypt, Mahrez led Algeria to the title, defeating Mane’s Senegal in the final; while Salah crashed out in the round of 16.

“Salah and Mane play for the same club and they’re both quite spectacular but unfortunately only one of them will receive the award,” Wenger contined.

“I want both players to share the award as it’s to difficult to decide who deserves it more. They both performed really well.

“Salah is an amazing player as he doesn’t only score goal but also provides a lot of assists. His final touch is really good, he’s very quick and he keeps on improving every year,” he added.

The 2019 CAF Awards ceremony will kick off by 8:00p.m Nigeria time.

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