Despite Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah missing out on a second Premier League title, the Egyptian has a better reason to smile after winning the 2022 Player of the Year awards.
The 29-year-old, who finished as the league’s joint-top goal scorer, got the better of Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane to win the honor, in turn booking himself a space at the 2022 PFA Premier League team of the year.
However, Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son, who shared the Golden Boot with Salah at the end of the season, did not make the shortlist or the best XI.
Salah scored 23 goals in the league and clocked 14 assists during the 2021/22 season, including a hat-trick and assist at Old Trafford as Liverpool thrashed rivals Manchester United 5-0.
The Egypt international also achieved League Cup and FA Cup success with Liverpool but narrowly missed out on Champions League and Africa Cup of Nations titles, losing both finals.
PFA members vote for the winners of each award, choosing the players they feel have put in the best performances all year.
Salah is now on record as one of the only nine players in history to have won two PFA Players’ Player trophies, joining Mark Hughes, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lucy Bronze, Kevin De Bruyne and Fran Kirby.
Elsewhere,
Manchester City’s sensation Phil Foden walked away with the 2022 PFA Young Player of the Year awards.
Foden played a key role in Pep Guardiola’s title-winning side and was feted for the second year in a row beating off competition from Conor Gallagher, Reece James, Jacob Ramsey, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
The 22-year-old becomes the sixth player to win the Young Player of the Year trophy back to back, joining Ryan Giggs, Robbie Fowler, Wayne Rooney, Dele Alli and City Women striker Hemp.
Foden was also named the Premier League’s young player of the season in May.
The England international was City’s fourth-highest goal scorer during the 2021/22 season, netting nine goals in the league, three in the Champions League and one each during City’s FA and League Cup campaigns.
Receiving the award, Foden said: “I’m really honored to be honest, especially to win it back to back. It shows that I’ve come a long way this year with the consistency of my game, and I’m really pleased to win it again.
