Africa Cup of Nations showdown gives Mane rare chance to outshine Salah

Salah and Sadio Mane have lifted the Premier League and Champions League for Liverpool, but only one can fulfill their dreams on the international stage on Sunday when they face off in the Africa Cup of Nations final. Mane's Senegal are Africa's highest ranked side but have never been crowned continental champions.

By contrast, seven-time champions Egypt have won the tournament more times than any other nation, but their last success came before Salah's debut in 2011. Egypt's greatest ever player said earlier in the tournament that lifting the trophy in Yaounde on Sunday as captain would mean even more than the success that has made him a world star at club level.

Salah would then have the international medal to go with scintillating goalscoring form this season to bolster his chances of being crowned the first African player to win the Ballon d'Or since 1995 and only the second of all time after Liberia's George Weah. The Pharaohs have needed a sprinkling of Salah's star dust to liven up an otherwise uninspired run in Cameroon.

He scored and set up in the winner to beat Morocco 2-1 in the quarter-finals, either side of 0-0 draws with Ivory Coast and Cameroon decided on penalties. Salah's 23 goals in 26 appearances for Liverpool this season have sparked clamour and fear among some at Anfield over his contractual situation with his deal set to run out in the summer of 2023.

However, the same applies to Mane, who not for the first time in his Liverpool career has a right to feel underappreciated given the attention focused on Salah. Mane also has over 100 Liverpool goals since joining from Southampton in 2016 and was just as pivotal to Jurgen Kopp's men winning the Champions League and Premier League in back-to-back