Despite being crowned CAF African Player of the Year in 2022, Sadio Mane has been omitted from the recently announced FIFPRO World XI shortlist.
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Earlier this week, the global union for professional football players, FIFPRO, announced its shortlist for its annual world XI, and while many of the game's best players have been accounted for, a glaring omission from the 36 names is that of Mane.
The Senegalese enjoyed a tremendous 2022, scoring some crucial goals in Liverpool's pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple, and it was his performances for the Reds and Senegal, whom he helped win their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations at the beginning of 2022, that earned him his second African Player of the Year award.
The winger would subsequently call time on his career with the Merseyside outfit and trade Liverpool for Germany as he made a €32 million (R614 million) switch to Bayern Munich ahead of this campaign.
The attacker has 11 goals in 23 matches for the Bavarians so far, but has had his season curtailed by an injury he sustained to his fibula just prior to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Senegalese is one of many African stars who failed to be shortlisted by the players union, with Morocco's Achraf Hakimi being the only footballer from the continent to be included.
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While the likes of Mane were left out, Cristiano Ronaldo was, perhaps surprisingly, included despite his underwhelming 2022.
The Portuguese finished second behind joint winners Mohammed Salah and Son Heung-min for the Premier League Golden Boot last season, but failed to help the Red Devils secure any silverware as they finished in sixth position for the 2021/22 campaign.
He would ultimately finish the year without a club after agreeing to mutually terminate his contract with the record English champions after his infamous Piers Morgan interview.
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