Southampton winger Sadio Mane has been announced in the five-man short-list for the BBC African footballer of the year award which is to be revealed next month.
The Senegalese winger makes the list alongside Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre Aubameyang, Porto’s Yacine Brahimi and Swansea’s Andre Ayew.
It is the first time in his career that Mane has made the list. However, he is nowhere near favourite to win it. Yaya Toure and Pierre Aubameyang are the two front-runners for the award after their superb club form in the past year.
Aubameyang in particular has been in sensational form for Dortmund this season; scoring 20 goals already in all competitions. This has probably made him favourite for the award, and rightly so.
Despite not looking likely to win it; it can be seen as a huge achievement for Sadio Mane and what he has accomplished since joining Southampton last year.
![Referee Andy Madley speaks to both Southampton Manager Tonda Eckert [GER] and Middlesbrough Manager Kim Hellberg [SWE] during the Southampton v Middlesbrough EFL Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final 2nd Leg match at St Mary's Stadium, Southampton](https://media.readsouthampton.com/readsouthampton/sites/7/2026/09/esme56H7noXX-300x208.webp)
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