Rio Ferdinand names the Premier League's top five African players in the aftermath of Sadio Mane's departure.
Sadio Mane has left Liverpool for Bayern Munich in a £35.1 million transfer, prompting Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand to name his top five African Premier League players.
Following his move to Bayern Munich, Rio Ferdinand named Sadio Mane as one of the five best African players in Premier League history.
The 30-year-old left Liverpool after six seasons in which he scored 120 goals in 269 appearances and won six trophies as part of Jurgen Klopp's famous front three. Mohamed Salah, a member of the trident, has joined Mane on Ferdinand's list.
The Manchester United legend named his top five African stars and some honorable mentions in a tweet posted after the £35.1 million deal between Bayern Munich and Liverpool was completed on Wednesday. "I'm leaving..." Ferdinand made a joke. "[Didier] Drogba, Salah, Mane, Yaya Toure, [Michael] Essien, in no particular order." The former England captain went on to say: "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Riyad Mahrez won a few awards. Jay-Jay [Okocha] was another player I admired."
In recent years, Egyptian king Salah and Senegal star Mane have both reigned as the Reds is now one of the best teams on the planet under Klopp, but Drogba and Essien - who represented the Ivory Coast and Ghana, respectively - were also helpful in propelling Chelsea to the top of world football.
Drogba scored 104 goals in 259 games for Chelsea, most notably under Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti during two trophy-laden spells at the club. Essien, a trusted teammate, spent eight seasons in West London, serving as a midfield powerhouse under multiple managers and scoring 17 goals.
Similarly, Toure's peak years coincided with Manchester City's ascension to power following their big-money takeover. Since joining the Citizens from Barcelona in 2010, the rangy playmaker has been able to truly run a game with his skill and athleticism, helping the Citizens win three Premier League titles in his eight years at the Etihad Stadium.
Mahrez has now surpassed his Ivorian predecessor as the best African on Manchester's east side, having won the same number of titles. But his greatest achievement was assisting Leicester City in pulling off one of modern football's most remarkable feats, as the Foxes became English champions in 2016, a season in which he was also named PFA Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, Okocha spent four years at Bolton Wanderers, where he not only became a cult hero, but also a club legend. The Nigerian's time at the Reebok Stadium was filled with tricks, flicks, and goals, helping the Trotters establish themselves as Premier League stalwarts until their relegation in 2012. He also finished as runner-up in the 2004 Football League Cup final, losing 2-1 to Middlesbrough in Cardiff.
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