Mohamed Salah is the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year for a second time because he has been the best player in the world.
I cannot disagree with the FWA awarding their prestigious gong to Salah because his contribution to Liverpool's chase for an unprecedented quadruple has often taken our breath away. The title will always go to the best team in the country over 38 games, but individual awards deserve to go to players who produce magic moments or sustained excellence across the season.
And no impartial judge can deny that Salah's performances in 2021/22 have been the work of a man at the peak of his powers. Without peeking at the FWA ballot papers, I've compiled my own top six for Footballer of the Year – in batting order. You may agree with some of my choices; you may agree with none. But I hope we can all agree my six of the best are all fine players in their own right.
