• Liverpool forward wins award for second year in a row • ‘I dedicate this award to my country, Egypt’ he says

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Mohamed Salah has been named African Footballer of the Year for a second successive year.

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Salah beat fellow nominees, his Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mané and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, at the Confederation of African Football’s awards ceremony in Dakar on Tuesday. The Egypt forward edged the same two players last year in a vote decided by the technical directors and head coaches of 56 Caf member associations.

“This award is very big for me, I love it because I saw it when I was young and I always had a dream to win it one day,” Salah said. “I’m proud to win it twice, I must thank my family and my teammates, and I dedicate this award to my country, Egypt.”

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Salah helped Liverpool reach the 2018 Champions League final but suffered a shoulder injury at the hands of Sergio Ramos during the 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in Kiev. That injury raised doubts about the 26-year-old’s participation for Egypt at the World Cup but he regained fitness in time to represent his country at the finals in Russia, scoring twice as they exited in the first round.

Salah has scored 13 Premier League goals this season to guide Liverpool to top spot.