On the map: Salah, Mané and Keita join African club of Premier League ‘first’ winners

Three of Liverpool’s African contingent – Mo Salah, Sadio Mané and Naby Keita – have officially entered the history books as firsts from their respective countries to win the English Premier League.

No Egyptian, Senegalese nor a Guinean had ever achieved the feat until the 2019/20 season.

With Liverpool’s title triumph on Thursday, the total number of African players who have won the Premier League has risen to 18.

Africa’s Premier League winners club:

Algeria: Riyad Mahrez

Cameroon: Lauren Etame-Mayer, Geremi Njitap, Joel Matip

Ghana: Michael Essien, Jeffrey Schlupp, Daniel Amartey

Guinea: Naby Keita

Ivory Coast: Kolo Touré, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Yaya Touré

Liberia: Christopher Wreh

Nigeria: Nwankwo Kanu, John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses

Senegal: Sadio Mané

South Africa: Quinton Fortune

Mo Salah, who last year became the first Egyptian to win the Uefa Champions League, curiously already has a Premier League winners’ medal – just not an official one.

The Pharaoh made just three appearances during Chelsea’s title-winning 2014/15 season but under FA regulations, a minimum of five games is required to be eligible for a medal. Even though he didn’t qualify for a medal, and had spent the tail end of the campaign on loan at Fiorentina, manager José Mourinho didn’t want Salah to be left out and ordered a replica medal for him, saying that he had contributed to the team’s success. Now, Mo is the proud owner of the real thing.

Salah has reached a number of milestones during his time at Anfield – in 2018, he became the second-fastest Liverpool player to reach 20 goals (just behind George Allan who managed the feat in 19 games in 1895/6); he also is one of the top 10 players who have reached 30 goals or more for the Reds in one season during the post-War years.

And Salah isn’t the only Liverpool player to make history after clinching the league. Sadio Mané is the first from Senegal to pick up a Premier League winners’ medal and Naby Keita is the first Guinean player to win the English league.

Joel Matip, who completes Liverpool’s current African contingent becomes the third Cameroonian after Lauren Etame-Mayer (Arsenal) and Geremi Njitap (Chelsea) to win the Premiership.

 

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