Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has been named the Professional Men’s Footballer of the Year by the Chelsea Men’s Professional Sam Kerr.
Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden retained the PFA award for best young player of the year, and club striker Lauren Hemp was named the best young female player for the third season in a row.
Salah led the poll, which was voted on by PFA members, ahead of Kevin De Bruyne, who had won the previous two years and was an integral part of the City team that beat Liverpool by one point. the Premier League.
Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo and Tottenham striker Harry Kane were also on the list, along with Salah’s Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mané.
This is the second player trophy of the year for Salah’s PFA after having previously won in 2018. This season he helped Jürgen Klopp’s team to win the Carabao and the FA Cup, and reach the League final. of Champions, where it lost before Real Madrid.
Egyptian international Salah, who finished as Premier League top scorer alongside Tottenham’s Son Heung-min with 23 goals, was announced this Thursday as the PFA Men’s Player of the Year in a ceremony virtual.
“It’s a great honor to win a trophy, individually or collectively, and it’s great, very happy and very proud of that,” said Salah, who was also named Men’s Soccer Player of the Year by the Association. of Football Writers.
“This is very good to win, especially because it is voted by the players. It shows you that you have worked very hard and that you get what you have worked for. I have my room with trophies in a closet and I made sure I had another space for one more. I always save space and just try to imagine that the trophies will come. “
Phil Foden and Lauren Hemp
Kerr scored 20 goals for Chelsea to be the top scorer in the FA Women’s Super League, helping Emma Hayes’ side win the national double after beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final. “It’s a great honor whenever your teammates vote for you. I think that’s the highest honor as a player, so it’s an amazing feeling,” said Kerr, who was also named female footballer of the year. FWA.
Dutch Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema and Gunners teammate Kim Little were also on the PFA finalists list along with Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood and Hemp and Chelsea’s Pernille Harder.
Foden, 22, topped the list of England finalists in the Young Male Player Award. Also named were Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, Conor Gallagher, who spent the season on loan at Chelsea’s Crystal Palace, Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey and Chelsea winger Reece James.
“I’m very honored, to be honest, especially to win by following it, it shows that this year I’ve come a long way with the consistency of my game,” Foden said. “I hope to be able to win the main prize in the future, but it’s about taking small steps and getting better.”
Hemp, meanwhile, is the first person to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award four times. Chelsea striker Lauren James, Arsenal Norwegian star Frida Maanum, Tottenham striker Jessica Naz, Manchester United striker Ella Toone and Brighton defender Maya Le Tissier made up the rest of the roster.
“It’s an honor to be able to do that again. to follow, so it is an honor to have chosen them. I will continue to work hard to make sure I follow the right path. ”
The 2022 PFA Merit Award honored two former England coaches, with Roy Hodgson and Hope Powell recognized for their outstanding contributions to football.
“I never won a trophy as a player, unfortunately, so it’s a pleasure to be recognized by other professionals. He’ll have a place of pride,” said Hodgson, 74, who left Watford at the end of his career. the season after taking over in January.
Brighton women’s coach Powell added: “I feel lucky and blessed to be in the game after so many years.”