Footballer of the Year Salah scores a first for Africa

Liverpool’s Egyptian forward, Mohamed Salah, has been voted Footballer of the Year for 2017-18 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 an outstanding season in which he has scored 43 goals in all competitions.

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 world class. But Mo Salah is the worthiest.… He is also the first African to receive the award and we congratulate him,” 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. He 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.

Other players to receive votes from the FWA were Sergio Agüero (Manchester City), Christian Eriksen (Tottenham), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Nick Pope (Burnley), David Silva (Manchester City), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) and Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham).

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 in April.