Mohammed Salah, Liverpool and Egyptian striker has won the Aiteo/ Confederation of African Football (CAF) 2018 Footballer of the year award.
He beat two other contenders Arsenal and Gabonese striker Peirre Emeric Aubameyang and Sengalese and Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane to clinch the award.
Salah also won the 2017 edition.
Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly born 15 June 1992) is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Liverpool and the Egypt national team. He is considered the world’s fourth most expensive player from a transfer value perspective by the CIES.
Salah started his senior career with Cairo club El Mokawloon in the Egyptian Premier League in 2010, departing shortly thereafter to join Basel for an undisclosed fee. In Switzerland, he starred as he won the league title in his debut season, winning the SAFP Golden Player Award in the process.
Salah’s performances then attracted Premier League side Chelsea, and he joined the club for a £11 million fee in 2014. However, he was used sparingly in his debut season and was allowed to leave on loan to Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Roma, with the latter eventually signing him permanently for €15 million.
Following consistent match-winning performances in Rome to lead them to second-placed finish and a record points-tally in 2017, Salah relocated back to the Premier League to sign for Liverpool for a then club-record fee of £36.9 million.
During his second spell in England, Salah adapted his game from a natural winger to a complete forward and quickly became the focal point of the team. He would go on to break the club’s scoring record for a debut season, receiving the Premier League Golden Boot after registering a record 32 goals in 36 league games. He also became the first player to win three Premier League Player of the Month awards in the same season.
His record-breaking performances saw him receive a number of other accolades at the end of the season, including the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the Football Writers’ Player of the Year and the PFA Fans’ Player of the Yearawards. Salah also came third in the award for the 2018 Best FIFA Men’s Player.
At international level, Salah represented Egypt at youth level, winning a bronze medal in the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, and participated in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was awarded the CAF Most Promising African Talent of the Year in 2012.[7] Making his debut with the senior national team in 2011, he helped Egypt reach the final of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, and he became the top scorer during CAF qualification to help the team qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. For his performances, Salah was named CAF African Footballer of the Year and the BBC African Footballer of the Year.[8][9] He was also selected in the CAF Team of the Year and Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament.
