Mohammed Salah has won the Men’s Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year for a second time.
Since the award was first presented to Sir Stanley Matthews in the 1947/48 season, Liverpool have had the most players presented with the award.
The award has found its way to an Anfield-based player on 15 occasions.
Here we look at the five most recent times that the honour has been awarded to a Liverpool Player.
2008/2009 – Steven Gerrard
The iconic reds skipper had one of the best seasons of his career this season under Rafael Benitez. Forming a deadly partnership with Fernando Torres, Gerrard scored 16 goals and added 11 assists.
The Reds fought a close title race, but finished runners-up to eventual champions Manchester United.
The English international topped the voting ahead of United’s Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.
2013/2014 – Luis Suarez
The Uruguayan’s time in England was a controversial one, but the football he played was undeniably brilliant.
The 27-year-old played 33 Premier League games that season, scoring an incredible 31 goals.
He also added 17 assists, recognised by his winning of not only the FWA Player of the Year, but the PFA Player of the Year as well.
Suarez beat team-mate Steven Gerrard to the FWA’s award.
2017/2018 – Mohammed Salah
The ‘Egyptian King’ capped of a record breaking first year on Merseyside with a whole host of awards.
Like Suarez, he also won both the FWA and PFA Player of the Year awards.
However, the pacey winger, signed from Roma the previous summer, broke the Premier League record for most goals in a 38-game season, scoring 32.
He beat Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and West Ham’s Declan Rice.
2019/2020 – Jordan Henderson
The Liverpool skipper had a stellar personal campaign, and after lifting the Champions League in 2019, he captained the Reds to a Club World Cup victory in December, before becoming the first Liverpool captain in 30 years to lift a top-flight title.
The Reds dominated a COVID-interrupted season, and Henderson’s contributions were felt both on and off the pitch.
Throughout the lockdown, he was instrumental in the ‘Players Together’ initiative, which saw footballers donating to the NHS.
He was also a strong supporter of other campaigns, including anti-cyberbullying campaign ‘People Not Profiles’. He was awarded an MBE for his services to charity.
2021/2022 – Mohammed Salah
Liverpool’s season could still see them end with four trophies, as the calendar enters May, and Salah’s contributions have been clear for all to see.
With only five games remaining, he currently sits top of the scorers list and assist charts in the Premier League, with 22 goals and 13 assist in just 31 games.
Salah joins an elite list of players who have claimed this award twice. The most recent player to win it twice was Cristiano Ronaldo.
Other players who have doubled up on the award include Thierry Henry (three times), Gary Lineker, John Barnes, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Sir Stanley Matthews, Danny Blanchflower and Tom Finney.
(Pic by Eddie Janssens – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steven_Gerrard,_2014.jpg)
