Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has been named the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) men’s player of the year for the third time, making him the first player to achieve this feat. Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers was awarded young player of the year.
Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate received the PFA merit award for his contributions to football and his achievements with the national team.
Salah, 33, played a crucial role in Liverpool’s title win last season.
Reflecting on his early dreams of becoming a football player in Egypt, he shared, “Of course I wanted to be famous and support my family, but you don’t think about the big stuff when you’re still in Egypt. As you grow, your ambitions change, and you start to see the bigger picture.”
In the 2024-25 season, Salah was the Premier League’s top scorer, netting 29 goals and providing 18 assists.
He also won the Premier League player of the season award and was named the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) footballer of the year.
Rogers, 23, is the fifth Aston Villa player to win the young player award, joining the ranks of notable names like Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney.
He expressed his desire to become one of the “incredible players” people talk about and acknowledged that there’s more to achieve in his career.
Villa signed Rogers from Middlesbrough for around £15 million in February 2024. Last season, he made 54 appearances, scored 14 goals, and helped Villa finish sixth in the Premier League.
He also received his first senior England call-up in November, debuting against Greece.
In other awards, James Trafford, a goalkeeper who recently joined Manchester City, was named Championship player of the year for keeping 29 clean sheets, helping Burnley secure promotion to the Premier League.
Richard Kone won the League One award for scoring 18 goals for Wycombe, while Michael Cheek took the League Two award with 25 goals.
-BBC
