Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah may not have finished in the top three of the Ballon d’Or voting last night – but he did win another landmark award.
He secured the Football Supporters’ Association Men’s Player of the Year Award for his superb performances for Liverpool this season.
He also won the Golden Foot award in Paris as part of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, awarded to the best player over the age of 28 via fans’ votes.
Let’s focus on the FSA award, taking a look at how he won it, why the award is unique and how the voting went down on the Ballon d’Or awards evening:
What is the FSA Men’s Player of the Year award?
Mohamed Salah won the FSA Men’s Player of the Year award after what has been a highly successful 2021 for Liverpool.
The award recognises the best performing male player of the year. Football supporters vote for it. According to the FSA website, fans cast almost 400,000 votes this year.
Salah defeated competition from the likes of Phil Foden, Michail Antonio and Ruben Dias to win the award.
Why is the award a landmark for Salah
In winning the award, Salah has become the first person to lift the trophy twice. He was also given the accolade back in 2018.
Mohamed Salah is also the fourth Liverpool player to pick up the award since it was created in 2010. Other Reds winners are Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Virgil van Dijk. The latter won the award in 2019 – the same year Liverpool won the Champions League.
How good has Mohamed Salah been for Liverpool in 2021?
Mohamed Salah has had an incredible 2021 for his club, both domestically and in Europe.
This season alone, the Egyptian has 13 goals and eight assists in the Premier League. He has made 11 appearances so far. His star performances include scoring a hat-trick at Old Trafford in a 5-0 win over Manchester United.
In the Champions League, he has six goals in five appearances. Liverpool have already qualified from their group as group winners. Additionally, he has scored a total of 32 goals across 2021.
Who won the Ballon d’Or?
Shortly after Mohamed Salah’s seventh-placed finish was confirmed in this year’s Ballon d’Or, France Football announced that Lionel Messi won the award.
Messi has had a strong 2021, helping Argentina to become Copa America champions in the summer. He has one goal and three assists in seven Ligue 1 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain this term.
Behind him in second was Robert Lewandowski. The Bayern Munich striker has smashed in 53 goals in 2021. Messi, meanwhile, has scored 32. That’s the same amount as Salah has managed throughout the calendar year.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
