With Percy Tau having been crowned the best footballer playing in Africa at the 2023 CAF Awards on Monday night, there is now little doubt that he deserves another shot at European football.
The Al Ahly talisman was named the 2023 Men's Interclub Player of the Year during the ceremony held in Marrakesh, Morocco. In what was a particularly good night for South Africa, with Banyana Banyana boss Desiree Ellis, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, and several women's national team stars walking away with awards, Tau made history by becoming the first player from Mzansi to win his particular prize.
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The Witbank-born player saw off competition from Sundowns marksman Peter Shalulile and Pyramids FC striker Fiston Mayele to claim the accolade. Egypt legend Mohamed Aboutrika is the most decorated footballer with regards to this award, with the Ahly icon having won it a record four times, in 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2013. Meanwhile, Uganda icon and current Masandawana veteran Denis Onyango remains the only star to have won the CAF Interclub Player of the Year gong while representing a South African club.
Indeed, Tau's achievement is a rare occurrence and it ultimately speaks to his tremendous quality as one of our nation's greatest exports in recent history. The likes of Lucas Radebe, Benni McCarthy, and even Steven Pienaar somewhat defined unique generations of Mzansi talent, and in a similar vein, the "Lion of Judah" is now making an indisputable claim as the best of his era.
Few players on the continent boast a CV as impressive as Tau's over the past 10 years. The 29-year-old has won three league titles in three different countries, namely Belgium, Egypt, and Mzansi, while he is also the most successful South African footballer in the CAF Champions League with two of those trophies to his name, having won them in 2015/16 with Sundowns and in 2022/23 with the Red Devils.
Now, with his Ahly contract expiring in June 2024, it feels like giving Europe another crack is an absolute no-brainer for the forward. The Bafana Bafana international's time at Brighton Hove Albion did not go according to plan, ending with just three first-team appearances in total. However, loan stints at Belgian giants Anderlecht and Club Brugge were a big success, and he won the Jupiler Pro League with the latter in 2019/20. With 50 appearances in European top-flight football under his belt, the ex-Downs man has a pedigree to compete among Europe's elite.
In June 2023, various reports emerged linking the forward with a spate of clubs, including Brondby IF of Denmark, Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, his former club Anderlecht, Dutch outfit Utrecht, and a shock reunion with Vincent Kompany at Burnley. Reports coming from Egypt also suggest that he is likely to be offered a new contract to extend his stay next season, but having won almost every trophy he can since making the move to Cairo, there's reasonable uncertainty that he would let a seemingly better opportunity pass by.
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Ahly will get their 2023 FIFA Club World Cup campaign underway on Friday, and this might be a wonderful chance for Tau to impress potential suitors from Europe. The upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast early next year is another big showpiece for the Mpumalanga native to stand out ahead of a potential return to Europe, as many eyes will be on him as the best player playing in Africa at the moment.
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