Mane won the award at a ceremony in Egypt on Tuesday, defeating Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, and had planned to fly directly to Senegal to celebrate.

However, the festivities were called off on Wednesday because the plane Mane was scheduled to fly on did not have the necessary permission to fly over Tunisia.

“It was my intention to first fly to Senegal to thank and recognise the people of my country for everything they have given me on my journey, but we were unable to make the trip,” said Mane, the first player to receive the award from his home country since El Hadji Diouf in 2002.

“Now we have a big match against Tottenham this weekend, which I need to focus on and be prepared for, but I am disappointed that I was unable to return home to thank you due to circumstances beyond our control.

“So, I will return to Senegal as soon as possible because it is something very important to me – I will never forget what everybody did for me, everybody who believed in me and everybody who gave me the chance to play football.”

Praise for Mane poured in from all over Senegal on Tuesday, and images of celebrations in his home village of Bambali, in the country’s south, circulated on social media.

Senegalese President Macky Sall tweeted that Mane’s victory was a “marvellous feat” that should be celebrated as an example for young people.

Mane’s successful year included winning the Champions League and the Club World Cup with Liverpool, while Senegal finished second to Algeria in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

The 27-year-old also finished the 2018-19 Premier League season as joint top scorer, with 22 goals.

Last year, he finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or, which was won for the record sixth time by Lionel Messi.