Bayern Munich's new signing Sadio Mane is set to battle it out with his former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah for the African Player of the Year award.
Their rivalry surfaced when both were representing their nations in different competitions.
Mane had an edge over Salah as Senegal defeated Egypt in the 2021/2022 African Cup of Nations final and in a 2022 World Cup play-off.
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In both tournaments, the games proceeded to penalty shootouts with Mane scoring the decider.
Mohamed Salah was, however, unlucky as he failed to score, sending Egypt packing.
While at Liverpool, both Mane and Salah won two domestic cups, the English Cup and the League Cup.
They also reached the Reds in the Champions League final, where they lost to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
In the final list which also includes Chelsea's goalkeeper Eduard Mendy, Mane is the favorite to win a second straight Africa Player of the Year award.
Salah lifted the award for two years consecutive in 2017 and 2018 before Mane who won his in 2019.
The awards ceremony has been on a two-year break after the 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled due to the pandemic.
This year's tourney is slated for Thursday, July 21 will be taking place in Rabat, Morocco.
The winner of the African award is chosen by the captains and coaches of the African national teams, members of the CAF technical committee and some media.
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