Egypt winger Mohamed Salah was named the African Player of the Year on Thursday, finishing ahead of Senegal winger and Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Salah had a year to remember for club and country in 2017, establishing himself as one of the most effective attackers in Serie A, as club side AS Roma finished second to Juventus n Italy, before moving to Premier League side Liverpool in the off-season.
The 25-year-old settled right away on Merseyside and is currently the club’s top scorer in all competitions in the 2017/18 season to date.
Meanwhile, Salah also played a pivotal role as the Pharoahs qualified for the 2018 World Cup for the first time since 1990, including a dramatic 95th-minute winner against Congo in their penultimate qualifying match.
“Winning this award is a dream come true. I want delicate this award to the kids in Egypt and Africa. I want to tell them that never stop dreaming,” Salah said after receiving the award.
The awards ceremony in Ghana’s capital, Accra, proved a successful one for Egypt, after the Pharoahs was named the national team of the year, and Hector Cuper was named coach of the year.
The Awards winners in full:
Men’s Player of the Year: Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Women’s Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Dalian Quanjian)
Youth Player of the Year Patson Daka(Zambia)
Coach of the Year Hector Cuper(Egypt)
Club of the Year: Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)
National Team of the Year: Egypt
Women’s National Team of the Year: South Africa
Football Leader of the Year: Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania)
Legends Award: Ibrahim Sunday (Ghana)
