CAF Awards 2021: Mohammed Salah Favorite to Win African Player of the Year - For the Third Time

 

Unlike Ballon d'Or, the CAF African Player of the Year Award is more of a one horse race. Mohammed Salah edges other African top performers like Paul Onuachu and Victor Osimhen. 

Salah scored a total of 28 goals for club in 2020/21 season under review (Premier League 22 and Champions League 6). He has already scored 10 goals this new season 2021/22 and apart from goal scoring other of his performance statistics is overwhelming. 

Although, Paul Onuachu outscored Salah with 33 goals in 2020/21 and has already scored 9 goals this season, Onuachu cannot be compared to Salah. 

Playing for Liverpool and in the Premier League gives Moammed Salah an edge over KRC Genk striker Paul Onuachu and has tipped the Egyptian to win the prestigious African Player of The Year award 2021.

The award, which began in 1970, is presented to the best African footballer each year, with Mali’s Salif Keita the first to win it.

It was initially presented to the winner by France Football magazine, before it was taken over by the Confederation of African Football in 1992.

Onuachu, Osimhen and Salah have been in impressive forms for their various clubs, with the Super Eagles duo strikers scoring nine times apiece for club this season, while Salah has 10 goals. 

While both Nigerian players, along with Chelsea’s Edwoud Mendy, have emerged as the top contenders for the award, Fashanu tipped Liverpool talisman Salah to win the award for a third time, having won it in 2017 and 2018.

“Victor Osimhen is a fantastic young player with a lot of quality; he’s been scoring great goals for Napoli in a league where beating defenders can be a tough job. But obviously, Salah, playing for Liverpool and in the best league in the world, gives him an edge over Osimhen because the Reds are a big club with world-class players under one of the best managers in the world,” John Fashanu told Punch Newspapers

“And if you are scoring for one of the best teams in the world consistently, then that certainly puts you in a better position for the player of the year award.