By Morakinyo Abodunrin, Sport Editor
• Picks Osimhen, Chukwueze as future APOTY
The winner of the 2019 African Player of the Year (APOTY) would emerge with the slimmest of margins with strong contenders including Liverpool duo of Senegalese Sadio Mane and Egyptian Mohammed Salah as well as Manchester City’s Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez.
The trio were named by the continental soccer ruling body as the top three for the 27th edition of the ward presented to the best African footballer annually by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1992.
But former Barcelona winger and 1994 APOTY winner, Emmanuel Amuneke, in his first interview of the new decade with NationSport in the early hours of January 1, 2020 said it was difficult to pick out the clear cut winner this term.
“I don’t think it would be that easy to pick Africa’s Best Player at the moment because the top three candidates have done pretty well in the year under review,” said Amuneke who was the second Nigerian after Rashid Yekini (1993) to be so honoured with the APOTY.
“Both Salah and Mane are one of the reasons why Liverpool is regarded as the candidate for the English Premier League title with their awesome performances over time; and you can’t brush aside Mahrez after his goals and leadership helped Algeria to win their first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) since 1990.”
Incidentally, both Mahrez and Salah have already been crowned Africa’s Best in previous years after the Algerian edged out Gabonese Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mane in 2016 while the Egyptian in two successive years in 2017 and 2018 best both Aubameyang and Mane.
“If I have a vote to make, it has to go to Mane,” noted Amuneke, the 205 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning coaches with Golden Eaglets. “He has been on the podium several times but has never been lucky to go home with APOTY. But he has been patient over the years but I have been very impressed with his work ethics; he has been up and doing for both Senegal and Liverpool over time.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a vote in the CAF polls and I can only hope the voters would be kind to Mane this time.”
Read Also: Emmanuel Amuneke: Why I want to coach Zambia
Amuneke, meanwhile, bemoaned the fact that no Nigerian player has won the APOTY since Nwankwo Kanu made an encore in 1999 after his bow in 1996.
The other Nigerian to have won the APTY was former AS Monaco forward Victor Ikpeba (1997) but Amuneke reckons there is great hope for the future: “I’m so happy with the choice of Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze as two of the nominees for the 2019 African Youth Player of the Year and I make bold to say that these are two of our best hope to win the APOTY in the nearest future particularly if they remain disciplined and consistent.
“Our players have to show more hunger and drive to be able to win the APOTY again and I think it’s a shame that no Nigerian players have won the award in recent years; but it shows that our young players especially must work harder to rule the continent,” noted Amuneke who made history by qualifying Tanzania for the 2019 AFCON in Egypt after their long debut in 1980.
The 2019 APOTY Gala will be held on Tuesday, 7th January at the Albatros Citadel Sahl Hasheesh, Hurghada, Egypt.
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