The Liverpool striker won the award in 2017 after a year which saw him make an explosive start to life in England and lead Egypt to the World Cup
The nominees for the BBC's 2018 African Footballer of the Year have been announced.
The shortlist, which has been compiled by a panel of African football experts, comprises Medhi Benatia (Morocco), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal), Sadio Mane (Senegal), Thomas Partey (Ghana) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt).
The vote opened at 7pm GMT on Saturday 17 November and is set to close on Sunday 2 December, with the results due be announced on Friday 14 December at 17:30.
Liverpool and Egypt striker Salah was last year's winner, in a year that saw him make the switch from Serie A with Roma to the Premier League and lead his country to a first World Cup finals since 1990.
The award's previous winners have included Nigeria's Jay-Jay Okocha, Ghana's Michael Essien, the Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, and Algeria's Riyad Mahrez.
Four of this year's five nominees competed at this summer's World Cup in Russia, with Benatia captaining a Morocco side that drew 2-2 with Spain in the group stages and Koulibaly playing every minute for Senegal as they narrowly failed to reach the last 16.
Liverpool striker Mane was also ever-present for Senegal in the group stage and also netted Liverpool's goal in their 3-1 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in the summer, whilst Salah scored both of Egypt's goals as they fell short of qualifying for the knockout stages.
Atletico Madrid and Ghana defender Partey is the only player on the shortlist not to have competed in Russia, but did make a late substitute appearance in the final as Diego Simeone's side won the Europa League with a 3-0 victory over Marseilles at the back end of last season.
The contenders
Juventus centre-back Benatia, 31, won his fourth consecutive league title this year - two with Bayern Munich and two with Juve - and captained Morocco at this summer's World Cup.
Napoli defender Koulibaly, 27, played his part in his club's battle with Juve for the Serie A title, including the winner against the eventual champions in the run-in. He played all 270 minutes for Senegal in the World Cup.
Liverpool forward Mane, 26, also played in all of Senegal's World Cup games, captaining his country in two and scoring against Japan. He was the joint-second top scorer in last season's Champions League - with 10 goals for Liverpool, including one in the 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in the final.
Atletico Madrid midfielder Partey, 25, established himself as a first-team regular for Diego Simeone's side, including a late appearance as a substitute in the Europa League final win over Marseille. He scored in international friendlies for Ghana against Japan and Iceland.
Liverpool forward Salah, 26, won the Premier League Golden Boot with 32 goals in May and, like Mane, scored 10 Champions League strikes in their run to the final. He scored both of Egypt's World Cup goals - 40% of their all-time total at the tournament.
You can click here to vote for your BBC African Footballer of the Year