On Tuesday, the Confederation of African Football will host a swanky gala in Egypt, the highlight of which will be the announcement of their choice for African Footballer of the Year.
A needlessly bloated initial long list has now been whittled down to a very manageable three, all of whom have a strong enough claim under any consideration. Although it is widely expected that Senegal forward Sadio Mane will be crowned for the first time, Riyad Mahrez and Mohamed Salah have shared the last three gongs, and come into this year’s edition on the back of pretty strong years in their own right.