Skip to main content

Salah favourite to complete awards hat-trick

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah hopes to add the African Player of the Year award in Ghana Thursday to his rapidly expanding collection of individual honours.

The Egyptian, scorer of 23 goals in all competitions midway through his first season at Anfield, has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year and Arab Player of the Year.

Salah, Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane of Senegal and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund and Gabon are the contenders for the highest African individual football honour.

The scoring feats of Salah have installed him as the public and media favourite to succeed Algerian Riyad Mahrez of Leicester City as the No 1 African footballer.

"I want to be the best Egyptian footballer ever," said Salah after receiving the BBC award last month.

"When I came to Liverpool I hoped to show everyone my abilities. I scored a lot of goals with Roma and am very happy being successful at Liverpool."

Salah also starred for Egypt, scoring five of the goals that qualified his country for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after a 28-year absence from the global showpiece.

Mane will also be in Russia next June, adding abundant creativity to a physically formidable Senegal side.

Gabon did not qualify and Aubameyang shunned several World Cup call-ups, a fact that could count against him.

Salah and Mane will leave Accra soon after the awards ceremony as Liverpool have a Friday night FA Cup third-round derby date with Everton.

However, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp did not hesitate to release his African duo for the Accra ceremony, which will include six other awards.

"It is a sign of respect," he told reporters in Liverpool. "We sleep in a hotel and they sleep in a plane. That is the only difference."

Salah is a doubt for the Merseyside showdown, though, having missed the English Premier League victory at Burnley this week owing to a groin strain.

Should Salah be named Player of the Year, he will be only the second Egyptian after 1983 winner Mahmoud al Khatib to hoist the symbol of individual brilliance.

It would be the first time since 1986 that north Africans have won successive editions of the poll, which this year involved national coaches, journalists, officials and the public.

Morocco midfielder Mohamed Timoumi was the 1985 winner, followed by compatriot Badou Zaki, one of two goalkeepers to be voted the best African footballer.

Footballers from the west of the continent have dominated recently with Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon and Yaya Toure of the Ivory Coast each winning four times.

While Salah has made the top three for the first time, prolific Bundesliga scorer Aubameyang finished first once and second twice in the past three award ceremonies.

Mane came third last season, but his valuable input for Liverpool has been overshadowed by Salah, second in the Premier League scorers' charts behind Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vulvar Care Tips

Vulva Care Maintaining a healthy vulva and vagina will help prevent infections and discomfort. Unusual changes in vaginal discharge is a sign that there might be an issue. Why is vulvar and vagina care important? Many women experience uncomfortable, vaginal infections (vaginitis) at one time or another. The area around the entrance to the vagina (vulva) can also become irritated. Steps can be taken to relieve and prevent vulvar discomfort and vaginal infections. Not all vaginal infections are alike and home treatments can worsen some types. If you have any concerns about your vulvar or vaginal health, or notice unusual changes in vaginal discharge, contact your healthcare provider if the problem persists. What is the vulva? The vulva is the area of female sex organs that lies outside of the vagina. These organs include folds of sensitive tissue called the labia (labia means "lips"). The labia has two parts. The outermost folds are called the labia majora. A secon...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nigeria’s first female banker, Sarah Morocco-Clarke is dead

Sarah Adenike Morocco-Clarke, Nigeria’s first female banker is dead. Morocco-Clarke died at the age of 80 on Sunday, 16 September 2018, after a short illness. Sarah Morocco-Clarke, an alumnus of Queen’s College Lagos, started her career with First Bank (then Bank of British West Africa, and subsequently Standard Bank) as a pioneer female employee, and rose through the ranks at First Bank Nigeria and was made the Services Manager and Secretary to the South Administration, wherein she had a mandate that covered the services of all the First Bank branches in Southern Nigeria. While she worked in the banking industry, she was manager of numerous First Bank branches in Lagos and was subsequently made a Regional Manager in charge of Bendel, Ogun and Oyo states. She was also an Area Manager in the Western part of Nigeria. Popularly known as the ‘Iron Lady, Morocco-Clarke leaves behind six successful children, thirteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Post a Comment
Read more

BBNaija winner, Miracle, gets Pilot license

The winner of the BBNaija ‘Double Wahala’ reality show, Miracle Ikechukwu, has obtained his Private Pilot License and Flight Dispatcher License. The 23-year-old took to his Instagram page to share the news by posting a picture of his licenses alongside birthday wishes for his mother. He wrote, “Today is also my pillar’s birthday (my sweet mum). Thank you, mother, for always being there for me through the journey. “To all my lovely fans, I thank you all for your patience and support. We made it. PPL in the bag. Happy new month,” Miracle said. During the course of the BBNaija show, Miracle, who was in aviation school prior to the show, continually expressed his desire to obtain all piloting licenses as soon as possible. He expressed his resolve during the eviction nights where he wore his piloting uniform each time he was up for possible eviction. Miracle’s total winning prize included N25m cash, a Sub-Urban Vehicle worth N12m and a trip for two valued N4.7m, Television an...
Post a Comment
Read more