Even media gets blown away with Mo
LIVERPOOL’S Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has been voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) to complete the double of English soccer’s major individual awards.
Salah was chosen as Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) after a season in which he has scored 43 goals.
The 25-year-old is the first African player to win the FWA award which began in 1948.
Salah narrowly beat Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne in a ballot of over 400 FWA members, with the winning margin less than 20 votes. Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane was placed third.
“What a race it has been between two players who, in a relatively short time, have reached genuine worldclass. But Mo Salah is the worthiest of winners. He is also the first African to receive the award,” FWA chairman Patrick Barclay said.
Salah has helped Liverpool, who are third in the Premier League, into the Champions League semifinals for the first time in 10 years.
The Merseyside club face A S Roma in the second leg in the Italian capital today and lead 5-2 from the opening game at Anfield, in which Salah scored twice and set up two other goals.
Salah will head to the World Cup in Russia in June to play for Egypt, who have been drawn with the hosts, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group A.
The inaugural FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year Award was won by Chelsea and England forward Fran Kirby, who was also crowned PFA Women’s Player of the Year last month. —