Ranking the 5 best African players in the Premier League this season (2021-22)
The Premier League has been graced by a plethora of world-class African players over the years.
Because of the ongoing AFCON, top English top-flight clubs have been depleted by the unavailability of their African stars. Liverpool have suffered massively, as both their flying wingers - Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah - are currently busy at the AFCON.
Other stars like Riyad Mahrez and Edouard Mendy are also busy at the continental tournament.
Aubameyang. Salah. Mane.
The Premier League Golden Boot belongs to Africa! 🇬🇦🇪🇬🇸🇳 https://t.co/IjY61k4Hc3
Salah, Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are previous winners of the Premier League Golden Boot award. All three jointly won the coveted honour in 2018-19, striking 22 times.
Aubameyang has had a dip in form since his Golden Boot-winning season, but Mane and Salah are still going strong. Meanwhile, Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis has been in tremendous form this campaign. On that note, here’s a look at the top five African players in the Premier League right now:
#5 Riyad Mahrez (three-time Premier League winner)
Riyad Mahrez is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. The Manchester City winger has often slipped under the radar due to the plethora of stars in Pep Guardiola’s ranks. Nevertheless, Mahrez is adept in both scoring and assisting.
The Algerian wizard hasn’t played a massive role in City’s title charge this season. However, he has still managed six goals and record four assists in 16 appearances, half of them from the bench.
goals in 
games this season
Riyad Mahrez is Man City's top scorer with 8️⃣ goals in 1️⃣5️⃣ games this season https://t.co/3fJEXb7W7N
In 2021, Mahrez scored 21 goals and assisted 13 times for City across competitions. Although he wasn’t the team’s first-choice right-winger, he outscored and out-assisted his teammates during the year.
#4 Sadio Mane (2019-20 Premier League winner)
Sadio Mane scored 11 league goals last season, which is below par, going by his staggering standards. However, he has started the 2021-22 campaign well, having scored eight times already.
The Liverpool number 10 has drawn flak for his inconsistency. However, his output is still on par or better than many of his peers. This season, he has as many league goals as Cristiano Ronaldo, Heung-min Son and Michail Antonio, players who are having a great season.
Reds goals for Mane 
💯 Reds goals for Mane 👏😍
The newest #LFC centurion! https://t.co/LuPf7eQTH4
Mane is a victim of his own success. During his Golden Boot-winning season, he raised the bar so high that anything below those numbers feel like a failure. Overall, the left winger remains one of the best forwards in the Premier League, and his numbers back up that perception.