The maverick Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah has added another award to his strings of accolades as he wins the Professional Footballer’s Association (PFA) Player of the year award for his exceptional season 2017-18.
The Egyptian and Liverpool forward, who is only 25yrs old, beat Kevin de Bruyne, Harry Kane, Leroy Sane, David Silva and David de Gea in the vote by his fellow players.
However, Manchester City’s Leroy Sane still went ahead to win the young player award, while Chelsea’s Fran Kirby won the Women’s Player of the Year award.
“It’s an honour and especially as it’s voted by the players. I am happy and proud,” Salah said.
“I didn’t have my chance at Chelsea. It was clear I would return and show everyone my football. I think I left and came back a different person, man and player.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he was “happy to have the opportunity” of being Salah’s manager and added it was an “unbelievable honour” to win the award.
“It’s been a fantastic ride but we still have games to go,” Klopp said. “But please grab the trophy and come home. We play on Tuesday!”
At the award ce3remony, former West Brom and England forward Cyrille Regis, who died in January at the age of 59, was honoured with the PFA’s merit award during the ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Also former England captain Casey Stoney, who retired from football this year, picked up the PFA Special Achievement award.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah wins 2017 BBC African Footballer of the Year
‘Everything he touches goes in the net’
Salah has scored 31 goals in 33 Premier League games for Klopp’s free-scoring Liverpool side and leads the race for the golden boot.
The Egypt international’s 31st league goal against West Brom on Saturday took him alongside Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez, who share the record for a 38-game season.
He scored in both legs of Liverpool’s 5-1 aggregate victory over Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals, as well as four goals in their league victory over Watford in March.
The £34m summer signing from Roma, is just the fifth player to register more than Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer: “Everything he touches seems to go in the back of the net and he is having one of those seasons where you go out on the pitch not hoping you are going to score, but knowing you will. As a striker, I know that it is a great feeling to have.”
BBC Sport pundit Rachel Brown-Finnis: “Salah was supposedly over-priced when Liverpool paid £36.9m for him last summer but you could triple that fee and no-one would bat an eyelid – not that they would consider selling him now.”
BBC Sport pundit Dion Dublin: “To do what Salah has done in his first season at Liverpool is incredible. He has scored so many goals but he is also unselfish – he will always pick the best option even if that means he doesn’t score but the team does.”
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