Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to duel away from the World Cup

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will miss the World Cup, but both are real contenders to win GOAL50. GOAL50 gives GOAL readers the chance to pick the best male and female players on the planet, as well as remembering some of the game's greats in our debut World Cup Wonders section. While Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane may have missed out on the World Cup for different reasons, these two former Liverpool teammates are expected to be among the real contenders to win the GOAL50 men's award.

There are 2,450 clashes in each section of GOAL50, but the clash between Salah and Mane is sure to be one of the most anticipated. Mane's absence from the World Cup is a bitter blow for all fans of the sport, as well as for Senegal supporters. He recently finished second only to Karim Benzema in the Ballon d'Or voting, having enjoyed a sensational year so far.

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He was Player of the Tournament at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, scoring the decisive penalty as Senegal won their first title, and then also inspired the Teranga Lions to World Cup qualification, dispatching Salah's Egypt in the play-off. His final season in the Premier League brought another PFA Team of the Year nomination as Liverpool beat Manchester City to win both domestic cups, while Mane also scored five goals to Salah's eight in the Champions League, where the 'Reds reached the final.

The UCL final defeat to Real Madrid was Mane's last act of service with Liverpool as he left for Bayern Munich, where he quickly rediscovered his goalscoring form in the Bundesliga. Salah is also absent for the World Cup, who had shown signs of returning to his late-2021 form during the final weeks of the season before football was halted for the international break.

<strong>Salah and Mané battle it out for GOAL50 award</strong>

Egypt's talisman has been involved in 14 goals in 21 appearances for Liverpool during the first part of the season, and continues to terrorise defences with his pace, work ethic and surgical finishing. Like Mane, Salah is a two-time African Footballer of the Year and, as the all-time leading African goalscorer in the Premier League and a three-time Golden Boot winner, he must be among the favourites to win GOAL50.