Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named player of the year by English sportswriters, while Chelsea’s Australian striker Sam Kerr took home the women’s prize.
Salah won the Football Writers’ Association award with 48 percent of the vote, beating out Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.
Mohamed Salah, who has led Liverpool’s quest for a treble this season with 30 goals, is in talks about a new deal, with the club growing increasingly optimistic that the Egyptian international will stay at Anfield.
For the second time, the 29-year-old has won the football writers’ prize.
The votes were dominated by players from the two Premier League championship contenders, Liverpool and Manchester City, with nine players from manager Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool squad nominated and six from City.
Kerr, who has 18 goals to help Chelsea win the Women’s Super League, received 40% of the vote, with Arsenal’s Dutch international forward Vivianne Miedema coming in second and Manchester City’s Lauren Hemp coming in third.
Salah and Kerr, both 28, will be honored at the Footballer of the Year banquet on May 5 in London.
“Both Mo and Sam have been terrific this season, setting records for both club and country,” FWA chair Carrie Brown said.
“They are leaders and standard-bearers of excellence at their clubs and respective leagues, in addition to their on-field performances.”
The Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year
The Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year (also known as the FWA Footballer of the Year or simply Footballer of the Year in England) is an annual award given to the player deemed to be the finest in English football for the season.
The Football Writers’ Association (FWA) is a group of football journalists and reporters who work for newspapers and agencies in the United Kingdom. It gives out the Footballer of the Year Award, which is the oldest and most prestigious in the domestic game.
