From the moment Edouard Mendy was rewarded as the best goalkeeper of the recently ended AFCON 2021, there were discussions about whether he’s the one who deserves it.No dilemma, Mendy is an outstanding custodian who’s probably the best in the world, let alone in Africa, but the AFCON was mostly about another keeper – Egypt’s Mohamed Abou Gabal, simply known as Gabaski.AFCON 2021 Team of the Tournament: Mendy on the line, Hakimi on the right, Mane, Salah and Aboubakar in attackThat’s what the Black Stars legend, Asamoah Gyan, thinks too…”For me, I feel Gabaski has got that positive energy he uses to follow the team. For ten years, for him to be a second goalkeeper, there’s something he is doing behind the scenes to help the players.Asamoah Gyan (©VI Images via Getty Images)”Even when he’s on the field, the way he controls them, you would see he’s a motivator. That’s why he’s been there all these years, and when he had his chance, he was able to deliver. For me, I feel he was the best goalkeeper of the tournament.”No disrespect to Mendy but he [Gabaski] did everything to keep Egypt in the tournament,” Gyan said on Supersports after the final match.AFCON 2021: He was a bench-warmer for over a decade, but now he’s a national heroMoreover, even Mendy himself admitted he believed the Egyptian was Cameroon’s best shot-stopper.”Gabaski is the best goalkeeper of the tournament, honestly. I spoke to him, and I told him he deserves it [to win goalkeeper of the tournament]. And I was really impressed by his tournament,” Mendy told Egyptian TV station MBC after the final.Gabaski was voted the man of the match at the end of the game against Senegal after making eight saves in 120 minutes of action.LIVERPOOL – LEICESTER
