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Mohamed Salah Voted Premier League’s Player of the Year

Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah poses with the PFA trophy. (PFA)
Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah poses with the PFA trophy. (PFA)
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Mohamed Salah Voted Premier League’s Player of the Year

Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah poses with the PFA trophy. (PFA)
Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah poses with the PFA trophy. (PFA)

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah capped an extraordinary return season to the Premier League by being voted player of the year by his fellow professionals in English football.

The Liverpool player collected the Professional Footballers' Association award at a ceremony in London on Sunday, two days before his team’s Champions League semifinal first leg against Roma, his former club.

He had left the club in the offseason for 42 million euros (then $47 million), a hefty fee that appeared to be a gamble for Liverpool, but now represents a real bargain.

The former Chelsea player has scored 41 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool — enabling him to beat Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne in second place to the PFA award.
Tottenham striker Harry Kane was third.

"It's a big honor," Salah said. "I've worked hard and I'm very happy to win it."

Salah is preparing to lead Egypt into its first World Cup in 28 years and he is the first player from the North African nation to win English football's top individual prize.

"Hopefully I'm not the last one," he said. "I'm very proud to win and I've worked very hard."

Salah's impact has been more remarkable given his underwhelming 2014-15 season at Chelsea before being offloaded by then-manager Jose Mourinho. He went on loan to Fiorentina in early 2015 and Roma in 2016, and then on a permanent basis to Roma in August 2016.

Scoring 15 goals and setting up 11 more for Roma convinced Liverpool to bring Salah back to a second spell in England.

His goal at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday was his 31st in the league this season, tying the scoring record in a 38-game campaign held by Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Shearer and Luis Suarez.

"You're comparing your name with some great names," he said, on the prospect of breaking the record.

"To break the Premier League record is something huge in England and all over in the world. There are still three games to go. I want to break this record."

Salah has also netted seven times in eight Champions League games, including in both legs of Liverpool's 5-1 quarterfinal thrashing of City, to carry his side to a first semifinal for a decade.

Suarez was the last Liverpool player to be crowned player of the year by the PFA in 2014 before moving to Barcelona.

It's a sign of his incredible impact that Salah secured the award with third-place Liverpool and that none of Manchester City's newly crowned champions won the accolade.

De Bruyne showed why he had been many people's early-season favorite for the prize with an incredible long-range strike for his 12th goal of the season to go with a league-high number of assists as champions City thrashed Swansea 5-0 on Sunday.

"From my point of view when you are analyzing 10 months, there is no player better than him," said City manager Pep Guardiola of the Belgian midfielder.

"Maybe there are numbers better but for me he was the best. But it is my opinion, the opinions of the players could be different. But in the end, in summer time he will be at home being champion."

City could take some consolation that winger Leroy Sane was voted PFA young player of the year.

The PFA women's player award went to Chelsea forward Fran Kirby, while Lauren Hemp of Bristol City secured the young player prize.

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Alcaraz Struggles with Stomach Issue in Loss to Ruud at ATP Finals

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz waves to his fans at the end of the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Norway's Casper Ruud, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz waves to his fans at the end of the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Norway's Casper Ruud, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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Alcaraz Struggles with Stomach Issue in Loss to Ruud at ATP Finals

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz waves to his fans at the end of the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Norway's Casper Ruud, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz waves to his fans at the end of the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Norway's Casper Ruud, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Carlos Alcaraz struggled with a stomach issue and looked far from the player who won two Grand Slams this year while losing to Casper Ruud 6-1, 7-5 at the ATP Finals in Turin on Monday.
It marked Ruud’s first victory over Alcaraz in five career meetings, and the result could make it difficult for Alcaraz to advance from the round-robin stage at the season-ending event for the top eight players.
“I didn’t feel well on court,” Alcaraz said. “A few days before coming here, I got sick at home. ... This morning, I feel uncomfortable in the stomach.”
In the same group, Alexander Zverev began his bid for a third ATP Finals title by beating Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4.
The top two finishers from each group advance to the semifinals.
On Sunday, top-ranked Jannik Sinner and US Open finalist Taylor Fritz beat Alex de Minaur and Daniil Medvedev, respectively, in the other group.
Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon to boost his career total to four Grand Slam titles. But he also struggled at the Paris Masters recently and dropped behind Zverev to No. 3 in the rankings this week.
“I have no experience playing on indoor courts,” The Associated Press quoted Alcaraz as saying. “I’ll be a really good player on indoor courts, I’m sure about it. But I think it’s about time, about getting experience. ... A lot of players are better than me on indoor court.”
Ruud reached the 2021 semifinals and 2022 final in his first two appearances at the finals. But he has struggled recently, too, losing his first or second match in his last seven events.
“I’m not full of confidence,” Ruud said. “A match like today might be able to change it.”
Alcaraz was broken when he served for the second set at 5-4.
Alcaraz led 25-16 in winners but committed 26 unforced errors to Ruud’s 10.
Ruud converted all four of his break points while Alcaraz was just one of six in that category.
“I’m tired mentally," Alcaraz said. "Obviously a lot of matches, really tight schedule, really demanding year with not too many days off.”
Zverev rolling after Paris Masters title Zverev, who won the finals in 2018 in London and 2021 in Turin, extended his winning streak to six matches following a title run at the Paris Masters.
Rublev is making his fifth consecutive appearance at the finals but hasn’t won a match at the event since 2022.
Zverev served nine aces and dropped only 10 points on his serve in 10 service games.
“He served wide 220 (kph) on the deuce side,” Rublev said. "Normally everybody serves slice and it’s 190. He find(s) a way to serve 220 wide on the deuce side. It’s not easy.
“Even if you catch the direction, when the flat serve comes 227, slice serve comes 219, 215, it’s tough to just see the ball.”
Sinner receives No. 1 trophy Before the Zverev-Rublev match, Sinnner received the trophy for finishing the year at No. 1 in the rankings.
“There’s no place better to celebrate this trophy,” Sinner said as his mom, Siglinde, looked on in tears. “Thanks for all of your support.”
Sinner is playing at home for the first time since it was announced before his US Open title that he tested positive in two separate drug tests this year.
A decision to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September. A final ruling in the case is expected early next year.