London:Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been crowned the 2018 African Player of the Year after a sensational 12 months.
The Egyptian forward helped the Reds to the Champions League final in May and has been a vital part of their assault on the Premier League title so far this season. He retained the prize he won 12 months ago.
And to mark his achievement, the striker was joined on stage by a group of dancers in Dakar, Senegal, as he awkwardly attempted to join in.
Salah enjoyed a record-breaking 2017/18 campaign, scoring 32 goals in the Premier League and 44 across all competitions.
He also scored twice at the World Cup in Egypt’s first appearance at the competition in 28 years.
Salah beat fellow nominees, Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
He edged the same two players last year in a vote decided by the technical directors and head coaches of 56 CAF member associations.
It completes another award-filled year for the 26-year-old after he also retained the BBC African Footballer of the Year prize and finished sixth in the Ballon d’Or standings.
Salah was handed the prize at a ceremony in Dakar on Tuesday night, where he was also included in the Africa Best XI for 2018 alongside Mane and Naby Keita.
Aubameyang was also included with the Premier League providing seven of the 11 players. Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, Manchester United’s Eric Bailly and Tottenham’s Serge Aurier were also included.
Medhi Benatia of Juventus, Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli, Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey and goalkeeper Denis Onyango of the Mamelodi Sundowns completed the team.
