Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez has been nominated for the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) Player of the Year.
Mahrez enjoyed a brilliant run for Pep Guardiola's team in the 2021/22 campaign. His 47 appearances for the club yielded 24 goals as the Algerian managed the best ever goalscoring season of his career.
However, on the international stage, Mahrez did not fair quite as well. His Algeria side, which was spearheaded by the 31-year-old, fell to a shocking Africa Cup of Nations group stage exit following defeats to Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast. They also failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar after defeat to Cameroon.
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If the City man wishes to claim the prestigious award this year, he will have to fend off competition from some of his Premier League rivals from last season. Bayern Munich's new signing Sadio Mane has been shortlisted alongside his former Liverpool teammates Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma, Chelsea's Edouard Mendy, Arsenal's Mohamed Elneny and Aston Villa's Bertrand Traore also make the initial list of 30.
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