Mohamed Salah: Liverpool and Egypt forward named African Player of the Year

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Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the 2017 Confederation of African Football Player of the Year.

The 25-year-old, who has scored 17 Premier League goals this season, helped Egypt reach the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations final in 2017.

He finished ahead of Liverpool team-mate and Senegal winger Sadio Mane.

Mane and Salah attended the ceremony in Ghana’s capital Accra, 24 hours before Friday’s FA Cup game against Everton, the latter ruled out with injury.

Borussia Dortmund and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came third.

Salah, who was voted the BBC African Footballer of the Year in December, has enjoyed a stellar year for both club and country.

In early 2017, the forward was the central figure for Egypt as they finished runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations.

He also had a hand in all seven of the goals that took the Pharaohs to their first World Cup since 1990 – assisting two and scoring five, including the stoppage-time penalty against Congo that saw them qualify them for Russia.

Salah’s form at club level has been every bit as impressive as it has in internationals.

In Italy, he scored 15 goals and made 11 others as he helped Roma finish second in Serie A, before joining Liverpool, where he has scored 23 goals in 29 games so far for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season.