Mohamed Salah Crowned PFA Player of the Year As Leroy Sane Scoops Young Player Award
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah took home the main prize of the night at the 45th PFA Awards at Grosvenor House in London on Sunday night, as he was crowned Players' Player of the Year for 2017/18.
The Egyptian became only the second African to win the award, which was voted for by his Premier League peers, as he beat competition from Kevin de Bruyne as well as David De Gea, Harry Kane, Leroy Sane and David Silva. Sane was also named Young Player of the Year.
The brilliance of Salah over the course of the 2017/18 season has come as a surprise to many, with the £37m summer signing from Roma equalling the record goals tally (31) for a player in a 38-game season with a deft finish in the 2-2 draw against West Brom on Saturday.
The wide attacker now has three games and four goals left to try and secure the all-time Premier League goals in a single season record. In addition to his domestic displays, he has been pivotal in Liverpool's impressive Champions League campaign. The Reds take on AS Roma at Anfield in the first leg of the semi-final on Tuesday.
While Salah's form this season has caught many off-guard, there was little surprise in the PFA's eventual announcement after a photo was leaked earlier in the evening showing the former Chelsea and Fiorentina star holding the trophy.
Meanwhile, Sane beat competition from his Man City teammates Raheem Sterling and Ederson, as well as Kane, Marcus Rashford and Ryan Sessegnon to be voted PFA Young Player of the Year.
While he didn't win 17-year-old Sessegnon became the first player from outside the English top flight to be nominated for the award.
The 22-year-old Germany international—who is the first player to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award and the Premier League title in the same season since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007—has scored nine goals and registered 12 assists this season under Pep Guardiola.
Chelsea's Fran Kirby was named Women's Player of the Year and 17-year-old Bristol City striker Lauren Hemp was named Women’s Young Player of the Year.
