“Sympathy award”, “Show him Ferland Mendy and Real Madrid” – Rival fans furious as Liverpool superstar Salah wins ‘undeserved’ PFA Players’ Player of the Year award

Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah won the PFA Players' 'Player of the Year' award for the 2021-22 season and rival fans are certainly not pleased. They claimed that the Egyptian's win was "undeserved" and that it was a "sympathy award."

Salah won the Premier League Golden Boot, sharing it with Son Heung-Min with 23 goals. He also won the Premier League 'Playmaker of the Season' award with 13 assists. However, his performances couldn't help Liverpool win the title as they fell short of champions Manchester City by one point.

The Reds won the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup but lost in the Champions League final against Real Madrid. After the PFA's award was announced, rival fans highlighted this to claim that Salah didn't deserve the award.

Salah started the season brilliantly but tailed off after January. He failed to impress with his performances, let alone with his goalscoring. He still finished with the most goals and most assists.

However, fans argue that stats aren't enough to win the award. Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane won the Golden Boot and the 'Playmaker of the Season' award in the 2020-21 season. He scored 23 goals and provided 14 assists, but the PFA 'Player of the Season' award was won by Kevin De Bruyne.

Many fans believe the Belgian should've been the winner this season as well, helping Manchester City lift their fourth title in five years. He scored 15 goals and provided eight assists in 30 league appearances.

Liverpool have six players in PFA 'Team of the Year'

The Reds had more reason for joy as they saw six players from their squad make the 'Team of the Year'. Alisson and Virgil van Dijk were key in Liverpool's defense last season. The Reds conceded the joint-least goals (26) and kept the joint most clean sheets (20), both with Manchester City.

Trent Alexander-Arnold made the second-most assists with 12 assists and added two goals to it as well.

Thiago Alcantara was masterful in midfield for the Merseysiders as were Salah and Sadio Mane in attack. Mane scored 16 goals and made four assists in the league last season.

About the author

Aditya has been working as a European football journalist and editor for Sportskeeda for close to 4 years. He boasts a total experience of over 7 years, and always aims to inculcate proper context in his articles, making the most of his prior stints in writing and marketing across a number of different industries over the years. He has also played football at college level for 2 years.

A B.Tech. graduate, Aditya's journey as an ardent football fan began after watching the elegant maestro Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final. He has been a fan of Tottenham Hotspur's front foot and creative football since 2008 and connect's with the club's underdog status.

Aditya, who is a Sportskeeda 'Long-form Editor of the Month' award winner, is a big admirer of Luka Modric's elegant and hard-working style of play. His favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian allows his players enough freedom in an age where micromanagement is the established norm.

Aditya feels Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala could replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their incredible collective potential. In his free time, he likes to read classical fiction, travel to places, and explore a variety of foods.

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