Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah scripted history by becoming the first player in the world to win the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Men’s Player of the Year award three times.
The 33-year-old was significant to Liverpool’s magnificent Premier League win last season, where he ended up as the leading goal scorer, with 29 goals to his name. He also registered 18 assists during an emphatic run. Salah piped Alexis Mac Allister, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice to win the prestigious award.
Salah was also named the Premier League Player of the Season and won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award for the 2024-25 campaign.
Salah was asked if he imagined winning such awards when he was in Egypt, to which he said, “Of course I wanted to be a football player and I wanted to be famous and provide for my family, but you don’t think about the big stuff when you are still in Egypt. “When you grow, you start to see things differently, and you start to have ambition and you start to see the bigger picture.”
A Dream Come True For Morgan Rogers
Meanwhile, it was also a dream-come-true moment for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, who won the Young Player of the Year award. He became only the fifth Aston Villa player, after Andy Gray, Gary Shaw, Ashley Young, and James Milner, to win the award.
Roger had a great season and played 54 matches across competitions. He ended up scoring 14 goals and helped Villa secure a sixth-place finish in the Premier League. The team also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The breakthrough season helped the 23-year-old make his senior debut for England in November, and since have played six international games for the side.
“Later down the line, I want to be one of those incredible players people speak about, so to do that I have to do what they did and what they followed after. “It’s a nice recognition but there’s more to win and I can’t wait,” said Rogers after winning the award.
Other Awards Categories
Meanwhile, James Trafford, who joined Manchester City last month, won Championship Player of the Year after keeping 29 clear sheets, helping Burnley secure automatic promotion to the Premier League with a second-place finish. Richard Kone, who has now joined Queens Park Rangers, won League One Player of the Year. He scored 18 goals for Wycombe. Also, Michael Cheek, who plays for Bromley, won League Two Player of the Year and Golden Boot after scoring 25 goals.
Sir Gareth Southgate was given the PFA Merit award for his contribution to English football as a manager and former player.
Premier League Team of the Year: Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest); Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth), William Saliba (Arsenal), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal); Declan Rice (Arsenal), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Alexander Isak (Newcastle United), Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest).