Sallah Adds Football Writers Award to Growing List of Honours

Egypt and Liverpool forward, Mohamed Sallah, was on Tuesday named winner of England’s Football Writers’ Player of the Year award (FWA).

The award is coming barely two weeks after he was similarly honoured with the PFA award in England.

He defeated Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane to the award, which is decided upon by the media and will be given out during a reception in London on May 10.

The forward became the 11th different Liverpool player to win the award and the first since 2013-14, when Luis Suarez also claimed the double.

Kenny Dalglish and John Barnes each won it twice while Steven Gerrard, Steve Nicol, Ian Rush, Terry McDermott, Emlyn Hughes, Kevin Keegan and Ian Callaghan also won it.

Other players to receive votes from FWA members were Manchester City trio Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Raheem Sterling, Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen, Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Salah, who moved to Liverpool from Roma in July, has score 31 EPL goals this season and equalled Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alan Shearer for the most goals scored in a 38-game season.

Sallah has two games remaining to match the record of 34 goals scored by Andy Cole during a 42-game season in 1993-94.

With 43 goals in all competitions this season, he became the first Liverpool player to reach the 40-goal mark since Ian Rush in 1986-88 season.

FWA said in a statement on Tuesday that this edition of the award was the closest since 1968/69.

“It’s been the tightest call since 1968/69, when there was a dead heat between Tony Book of Manchester City and Derby’s Dave Mackay.

“Right up to the last week or so we thought it might happen again, so strong was the support for Kevin de Bruyne, but Mo Salah’s relentless match-winning form, exemplified by his two great goals against Roma, seems to have swung the vote by a very narrow margin.

“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 of winners. He is also the first African to receive the award and we congratulate him on a magnificent season,” observed the FWA statement.