Aymen Mahious has become the second Algerian to win the African Nations Championship (CHAN) Golden Boot award after being handed the gong in Algiers on Saturday night.
The 25-year old scored five goals in the competition which earned him the award as no player could overtake him following the final at the Nelson Mandela Stadium.
He joins his countryman El Arbi Hillel Soudani as the second Algerian to win the award as the latter scooped the honour with four other players in 2011 tournament.
Mahious scored five goals but missed a penalty as Senegal won 4-3 on penalties in a hectic CHAN 2022 final that finished goalless at full-time.
The 25-year old failed to find the back of the net at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on Saturday as the contest ended in favor of Pape Thiaw’s Teranga Lions.
Mahious’ goals against Libya and Ethiopia in the first two group stage announced his arrival in the CHAN.
A last minute goal against Cote D’Ivoire in the quarter-final plus a brace in the 5-0 semi-final win against Niger was enough to earn the honour.
The forward featured in all of Algeria’s six CHAN 2022 matches. He only failed to score in the group game against Mozambique and against Senegal in the final.
The USM Algier’s goal poacher finished the competition two goals ahead of closest challenger Razafindranaivo Koloina of Madagascar.
The 22-year old scored three goals in six matches to propel his nation to a third-place finish.
Mahious inherits the ‘goal king’ crown from 2020 CHAN Golden Boot winner Soufiane Rahimi. The Moroccan scored five goals in the previous tournament, helping his country to claim their second CHAN trophy.
Algeria’s Mahious is the third player to score five or more goals at the tournament.
Only Ayoub El Kaabi’s nine goals for Morocco during the 2018 event is better than Mahious and Rahimi’s tally.
Mahious joins the likes of Elia Meshack, Chisom Chikatara, Ahmed Akaichi and Bernard Parker as the players to have won the award.
Also, Algeria star Houssem Eddine Mrezigue was adjudged as the Best Player of the tournament.
The 22-year old midfielder was awarded for his consistency in being the difference for the Desert Foxes by the Technical Study.
Senegal goalkeeper Pape Mamadou Sy bagged the Best Goalkeeper Award, while Senegal won the Fair Play Award.
Former winners of the TotalEnergies CHAN Golden Boot:
CHAN 2022 (Algeria) : Aymen Mahious (5 goals, Algeria)
CHAN 2020 (Cameroon)
Soufiane Rahimi (5 goals, Morocco)
CHAN 2018 (Morocco)
Ayoub El Kaabi (9 goals, Morocco)
CHAN 2016 (Rwanda)
Elia Meshack (4 goals, DR Congo)
Chisom Chikatara ( 4 goals, Nigeria)
Ahmed Akaïchi ( 4 goals, Tunisia)
CHAN 2014 (South Africa)
Bernard Parker (4 goals, South Africa)
CHAN 2011 (Sudan)
El Arbi Hillel Soudani (3 goals, Algeria)
Myron Shongwe (3 goals, South Africa)
Mudather Karika ( 3 goals, Sudan)
Zouheir Dhaouadi (3 goals, Tunisia)
Salema Kasdaoui (3 goals, Tunisia)
2009 (Cote D’Ivoire)
Given Singuluma (5 goals, Zambia).
