The Africans have been impressive in the competition this season, albeit, Goal readers have picked the one who has impressed the most
Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy is Africa’s top performer in the Champions League this season, and not Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, according to Goal readers.
They will face one another in Saturday’s final to determine the kings of Europe.
Of a truth, the towering goalkeeper and the former Leicester City star played significant roles in the Blues and Citizens’ journey to the final billed for Porto’s Estadio do Dragao.
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However, Goal asked its readers to pick the one who stood out the most in the 2020-21 campaign.
In a poll conducted on Goal Africa Twitter handle, 56.8 percent of the 292 votes feel the Senegal international has done better to be tagged as Africa’s top performer.
Who has been Africa’s top performer in the Champions League this season? #UCL #MCICHE
— Goal Africa (@GoalAfrica) May 28, 2021
The remaining 43.2 percent feel Premier League and Carabao Cup winner, Mahrez, is the top-performing African in the competition.
Since joining the Stamford Bridge giants from Rennes following Kepa Arrizabalaga’s error-prone outings, Mendy has been a major force in Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
The 29-year-old has featured 11 times in Champions League games – not conceding a goal on eight occasions.
That is the most in a single season by any goalkeeper playing for an English elite division side since the inception of the tournament.
His best performance was in the second-leg semi-final against Real Madrid. Having played a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the Spaniards traveled to England with their guns blazing, nonetheless, Mendy was at his best to deny the 13-time European champions a place in the final.
On the other hand, Mahrez boasts the same number of matches – scoring on four occasions – with three of them coming against Paris Saint-Germain.
That saw him equal Sadio Mane’s feat as the second player to score in both legs of the Champions League semi-finals for an English team.
Liverpool’s Mane was the first Premier League player to achieve this after scoring against AS Roma in both legs of their last four fixture in the 2017-18 campaign.
Moreover, Mahrez’s double in the second leg against the French Ligue 1 outfit saw the 30-year-old overtake Yacine Brahimi to become Algeria’s top scorer in the history of the competition with nine goals.
Regardless of what happens in Portugal, both players would hold their heads high for their notable performances this season.
