Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah beat off competition from Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Naby Keita and Victor Moses to be crowned 2017 BBC African Footballer of the Year.
Salah has been a breathe of fresh air for Jurgen Klopp”s side since completing his move from AS Roma. The former Chelsea man has scored 19 goals in all competitions thus far this season, with 13 of them coming in the Premier League. His inspired performances see him sit at the top of the top-scorers chart in the league and Salah says he is hoping to win the award again next year.
“I’m very happy to win this award, it’s a special feeling for me,” he told BBC.
“I’d like to thank everybody; my teammates and the people I work with. I am very happy here at the club, I’ve had a very good start here. Also the manager has helped me to settle into the team.
“Last season I had a very good season with Roma, so I need to thank my teammates [there] and also my teammates in the national team.
“The people I work with are very professional and I’m happy with them.
“[Now] I’d also like to win it next year!” he added.
In addition to his debut season heroics with Liverpool, Salah managed to secure The Pharaoh”s first World Cup spot since 1990.
Klopp heaped praise of Salah, saying that the accolade is well-deserved.
“It’s a fantastic prize for a pretty good player!
“I am a really lucky person because I’ve had the opportunity to work with a few fantastic, outstandingly good players – and now I am happy I have it with Mo.
“When I started as a manager he was a kid and nobody could have imagined that we would work together.
“The good thing with him is he is still young, there is a lot of space for improvement and still a lot of potential for us to work on, but that’s how it should be.
“It is a big pleasure to work with him and the other guys together. On a good day, we make it easy for each other because that’s how football should be,” he concluded.
Photo: Liverpool’s official website
-This story originally appeared on SportsClub.co.za
