The Liverpool forward adds the prestigious award to the PFA Players’ Player of the Year trophy he picked up last month, again beating Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne into second place.
The difference between the pair was just 20 votes, the closest margin of victory in this long-running award since 1969.
Salah, who heads back to former club Roma on Wednesday evening for the Champions League semi-final second leg – has enjoyed a quite brilliant first season at Anfield, scoring 43 goals in 48 appearances.
The 25-year-old is the first African winner of the accolade in history and it is deserved recognition of how he has driven the Merseysiders to the brink of a first Champions League final since 2005.
Harry Kane was a distant third in the voting (Salah and de Bruyne shared over 90% of the ballot) with David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen, Roberto Firmino and Nick Pope the others to receive votes.
“It’s been the tightest call since 1968/69 when there was a dead heat between Tony Book of Manchester City and Derby’s Dave Mackay,” FWA Chairman Patrick Barclay said.
“Right up to the last week or so we thought it might happen again, so strong was the support for Kevin de Bruyne, but Mo Salah’s relentless match-winning form, exemplified by his two great goals against Roma, seems to have swung the vote by a very narrow margin.
“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.”
