Egypt and striker Mohamed Salah has been named African Footballer of the Year for the second successive year at the Confederation of African Football’s 2018 awards ceremony in Dakar on Tuesday.
Just as he did 12 months ago, Salah beat fellow nominees including Liverpool FC teammate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to land the award.
A poll of CAF’s national teams’ head coaches and technical directors, members of the governing body’s technical and development committee and a panel of media experts selected Salah as the continent’s outstanding footballer in 2018.
The Liverpool forward was also named in the Africa Best XI for 2018, along with Mane and Naby Keita.
He scored 44 times during a 2017-18 campaign in which he helped his club reach the Champions League final, before then netting twice at last summer’s World Cup.
Salah scored four goals in three Africa Cup of Nations qualification outings for his country in 2018 and a further 16 goals in 29 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool in 2018.
Salah completed a memorable day for Egyptian football, as the country beat sole rival South Africa to the hosting of 2019 Cup of Nations which was withdrawn from previous host, Cameroun.
…Falcons wins women’s national team of the year
The Super Falcons joined the league of winners at the CAF 2018 Awards after scooping the Women’s National Team of the Year in Dakar, Senegal on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Mauritania clinched the 2018 Men’s National of the Year.
For the Women’s Coach of the Year, the gong went to South Africa’s Bayana Bayana coach Desiree Ellis.
She led South Africa to their first-ever qualification for the Fifa Women’s World Cup, thus making it into the army of winners at the Caf 2018 Awards.
The Men’s Coach of the Year went to Herve Renard of Morocco with the country (Morocco) FA boss winning the Best Federation President of the Year.
Also, the Youth Player of the Year was won by Morocco’s Achraf Hakim and the Goal of the Year going to Thembi Kgatlana of South Africa.
In the Women’s Player of the Year category, South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana won the prize making her the second player from the Rainbow country to win the prize.
