Mo Salah has taken out the Professional Football Association’s award for the best male player for a second time. The Egyptian was named the winner of the award on Thursday. It was the second time he had picked up the prestigious award, putting him in some rarified air.
Only current rival Kevin De Bruyne and legends Gareth Bale, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Shearer and Mark Hughes have won the award twice.
MO SALAH STARTS THE SEASON WITH A BANG
Even by his own incredibly lofty standards, Mo Salah had an incredible 2021/22 season in the Premier League. If he is to stay at Liverpool past the terms of his current contract, we will remember this season as the year Salah added assists to his game.
Playing on the right wing, he laid on 13 goals for his teammates this season. That put him atop of the assist podium, beating out teammates Trent Alexander Arnold (12) and Andrew Robertson (10).
Salah remained lethal in front of the goal as well. Particularly in the first half of the year. Up to match week 18 this p[ast season, he had failed to score in just five matches. He failed to have a score involvement in just one of the first 18 matches as well.
Highlights from the first half of the season included a tremendous hat trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford and those two wonder goals against Manchester City and Watford.
In the first half of the year, he looked on track to beat his own PL goal scoring record. Not only that, he was rightfully being spoken about as one of the best players in the world.
His Champions League group stage performance was tremendous as well. He scored seven goals as his Liverpool side became the first English side to finish the group stage with a 100% record.
ROLLER COASTER SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON
The second half of the year saw Mo Salah reduced to the level of mere mortals. He missed a couple of league games as he went to Cameroon to bring glory to Egypt and win the AFCON. It wasn’t to be.
Mo Salah and his teammates fell agonizingly short, losing to Sadio Mané’s Senegal side in a penalty shootout.
Media heavily criticized Salah for not even taking a shot in the shootout. He would take a penalty in the World Cup qualifier against the same opposition and miss just 6 weeks later, costing his side a place in the World Cup.
After that heartbreak, it understandably took Mo Salah a minute to get back into the groove of things. It took him a couple of games, but he eventually started scoring again. He then had to face his penalty shootout demons in the EFL Cup final against Chelsea.
This time he scored the penalty as Liverpool brought home their first of two domestic trophies.
He wouldn’t take a penalty in the FA Cup final, he came off injured in the 33rd minute. It was clear fatigue was setting in for Mo Salah.
Salah was still a threat but was not scoring goals in the league as prolifically as he had been in the first half of the season. He still chimed in with some crucial goals, including another 2 against Manchester United, this time at Anfield.
He scored on a crazy Championship Sunday and for a moment; it seemed he had won the league for the Reds. For the second time in just a few years, however, Liverpool would fall one point short of Manchester City.
The Egyptian King had to console himself by winning his third EPL Golden Boot award.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HEARTACHE
There was further pain to come as his ‘revenge mission’ in the Champions League final fell flat. Liverpool would lose to Real Madrid in the Champions League final for a second time in five years, 1-0.
He had made his feelings clear following the semi-final victory when asked who he would like to face in the final.
A master class from Thibaut Courtois would see Salah forced to eat his words. A 91 point league season, a Champions League final appearance, 23 goals and two domestic cups are nothing to be ashamed of.
But for Salah and the rest of the Liverpool team, the 2021/22 season will forever be the “what might’ve been” season.
At least the Egyptian King can console himself with his litany of personal awards this summer. And Liverpool fans can rejoice in the fact they have arguably the best player in the world in their team. For now…
Stuart Kavanagh is a sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.