Tag Archives: Salah

Lifestyle

Hat trick for Salah as he wins ‘Footballer of the Year’ for a third time

Maravi Post Reporter

It’s a hat trick for Mohamed Salah after the Liverpool forward was voted Britain’s ‘Footballer of the Year’ for a record-tying third time.

The accolade is handed out by the Football Writers Association (FWA). First awarded in 1948, it is the oldest individual soccer award in the world. Salah previously won the title in 2018 and 2022.

Arsenal great Thierry Henry is the only other player to have captured it three times.

With 28 goals and 18 assists, Egyptian-born fan-favourite Salah topped the Premier League this season and played a key role in Liverpool winning the title for the second time in five years.

The FWA said Salah won 90 percent of the votes cast by more than 900 members, making it the “biggest winning margin this century.”

Salah’s Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk was second and Newcastle striker Alexander Isak was third.

Arsenal striker Alessia Russo won this year’s women’s award.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/14/47/34/01/ED_PYR_1447341_20250509120816.mp4
Lifestyle

Alexander-Arnold confirms departure from Liverpool after 20 years

Maravi Post Reporter

Trent Alexander-Arnold sat down, took a deep breath and uttered the words many Liverpool knew would be coming.

“After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club,” he said into a camera, “I will be leaving at the end of the season.”

Alexander-Arnold didn’t mention his next destination when confirming his imminent departure from Liverpool on his social media accounts but the England right back is widely expected to move to Real Madrid on a free transfer.

The locally born Alexander-Arnold, who joined Liverpool at the age of 6 and has won every major honor with the club, said it was “easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.”

He has announced it barely a week after clinching a second Premier League title with the Reds, pushing them onto 20 English top-flight championships — tied for the record with Manchester United.

“This club has been my whole life — my whole world — for 20 years,” the 26-year-old Alexander-Arnold wrote. “From the academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all.

“But, I have never known anything else and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally. I’ve given my all every single day I’ve been at this club, and I hope you feel like I’ve given back to you during my time here.”

Fans might feel let down

While Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have recently signed new two-year deals with Liverpool, there was lingering uncertainty over the future of Alexander-Arnold, who was also out of contract at the end of this season.

Some fans will be unhappy he has run down his contract and not allowed Liverpool to get any money for one of its star assets.

“I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset,” Alexander-Arnold told Liverpool’s official website. “Obviously that went into the decision as well — it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people.

“But I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that. It’s a difficult one, it’s one that has played on my mind for a long time but being able now to get it off my chest will feel like a weight is lifted.”

Alexander-Arnold said he hasn’t spoken publicly about his future in recent months because he wanted the “to keep my full focus on the team’s best interests, which was securing No. 20.”

His trophies and that assist against Barcelona

Alexander-Arnold won the Premier League in 2020 and again this year, as well as the Champions League in 2019, the FA Cup, English League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Since making his senior debut in October 2016, he has been key to revolutionizing the role of a full back, with Alexander-Arnold having been Liverpool’s most creative player at times with his marauding runs down the right and his ability to come infield and pick out passes to the team’s attackers.

Arguably the most famous moment of his Liverpool career was when his quickly taken corner set up a goal for Divock Origi to complete a memorable comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals in 2019.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank everybody — my coaches, my managers, my teammates, the staff and our incredible supporters — for the last 20 years,” Alexander-Arnold wrote.

“I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die.”

Another potential bargain for Madrid

If he does go to Madrid, it would be as a free agent and he’d follow in the footsteps of the likes of Steve McManaman, Michael Owen and Xabi Alonso in swapping Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu.

Alexander-Arnold would be joining England teammate Jude Bellingham in Madrid as well as Kylian Mbappé, who moved there in June 2024 on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool said Alexander-Arnold “will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for his contribution during a sustained period of success.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has Conor Bradley as a ready-made back-up for Alexander-Arnold, but is likely to go into the transfer market for another replacement.

The Club World Cup

Liverpool said Alexander-Arnold will be departing “once his deal ceases on June 30, 2025,” though there’s a chance he will leave earlier should he go to Madrid.

In October, FIFA announced interim transfer rules allowing players whose contracts expire on June 30 to sign early as free agents for one of the 32 teams — such as Madrid — who qualified for the relaunched Club World Cup.

If Madrid and Liverpool were to come to an agreement, Alexander-Arnold could represent the Spanish team for two weeks from mid-June on an exceptional basis — before his formal contract expires — in a tournament that is technically still part of the current season.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/14/08/44/09/ED_PYR_1408449_20250506052102.mp4
Lifestyle

Salah’s agent says Egypt star’s injury is worse than previously feared

Maravi Post Reporter

Mohamed Salah’s agent says the player’s injury is more serious than previously stated and that the Liverpool star will be out for three to four weeks – which would rule out a return to the Africa Cup of Nations for Egypt.

“His best chance at participating in the current AFCON is by undergoing intensive rehabilitation in the UK and rejoining the team as soon as he is fit,” Ramy Abbas Issa wrote Monday on X, formerly Twitter.

The Egyptian Football Association had already said that Salah would be leaving the rest of the national team squad and returning to Liverpool for rehabilitation after its final Africa Cup group game against Cape Verde on Monday. Egypt later Monday drew 2-2 with Cape Verde and advanced in second place from its group to the knockout stage.

Salah was forced off during the first half of Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Ghana on Thursday with what the Egyptian federation later said was a muscle injury. It had said Salah would miss Egypt’s next two games at the tournament – Monday’s final group game and the last 16 match if the Pharaohs reached it.

But Abbas said this was an optimistic assessment.

“Mohammed’s injury is more serious than first thought and he will be out for 21-28 days, and not 2 games,” the agent wrote on X.

On Sunday, Salah said he is still convinced he will finally win the Africa Cup “ sooner or later.”

Source: Africanews

Sports

Liverpool reach Champions League final, to face Real Madrid

Special Absalom

Senegalese forward Sadio Mane was on target for Liverpool as they historically qualified for the Champions League final for the eight time in the club’s history.

Mane opened the scoring for Liverpool against AS Roma in a thrilling semi final that saw thirteen goals scored over two legs.

Liverpool who had beaten Roma 5 – 2 in the first leg at Anfield scored two goals in Rome to wrap up the two legged contest 7 – 6 on aggregate.

The Romans who had pulled off a spectacular comeback against Barcelona in the quarterfinals were one goal shy of stunning Liverpool.

The match in Rome ended 4 -2 with Roma scoring the fourth goal in the 94th minute.

Liverpool will face Real Madrid in the final on 26th May in Kiev, Russia.

Salah wins another award
Meanwhile, Liverpool and Egyptain forward who was the mastermind of the 5 – 2 win against his former club AS Roma, was on Tuesday named the FWA Footballer of the Year, giving him another top honour in a debut season at Anfield in which he has continued to set club records.

Salah, who was named the PFA Player of the Year earlier this month, beat Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane to the award, which is decided upon by the media and will be given out during a reception in London on May 10.

“What a race it has been between two players who, in a relatively short time, have reached genuine world class.

But Mo Salah is the worthiest of winners. He is also the first African to receive the award and we congratulate him on a magnificent season,” said Patrick Barclay, FWA Chairman.

Salah, who moved to Liverpool from Roma in July, has scored 31 Premier League goals this season, equalling Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alan Shearer for the most goals scored in a 38-game season.