The Egypt international narrowly topped the poll of the 400-strong FWA membership ahead of Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, the margin understood to be less than 20 votes. Tottenham striker Harry Kane was third.

Between them, Salah, signed by the Reds from Roma last summer, and De Bruyne, who helped City claim the Premier League title with five games remaining, collected more than 90 per cent of the journalists’ votes.

Salah has scored 43 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions this season and spearheaded Liverpool’s push towards a potential place in the Champions League final — the Reds lead Roma 5-2 ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final second leg in Italy.

The 25-year-old, who was last month crowned the Premier League’s Players’ Player of the Year, becomes the first African winner of the FWA accolade, which has been awarded since 1948.

The absolute best in local and international martial arts talent are ready to showcase their incredible skills on the largest global platform of martial arts competition. In the main event, reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee makes her highly-anticipated return to action to defend her title against Japanese veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi in a rematch.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “I am thrilled to announce ONE: UNSTOPPABLE DREAMS, which is shaping up to be one of the biggest nights in the history of martial arts. Three world title bouts are set to take place in Singapore. Headlining the card is Asia’s biggest martial arts star, ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee, as she continues to embody the true warrior spirit of martial arts. She returns to the ONE Championship cage to resume her incredible career. Mei Yamaguchi is ready to give her a tough challenge however, and the two have danced inside the cage once before. Also, I am pleased to announce that Martin Nguyen will face Christian Lee in defense of his ONE Featherweight World Championship title. Martin has just come back from a tremendous battle with Bibiano Fernandes last March, and has made a quick turnaround to defend his featherweight title like a true world champion. Finally, we are set to crown the inaugural ONE Super Series Muay Thai Flyweight World Champion, as Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and Sergio Wielzen vie for the title. It’s going to be a phenomenal night of action for sure, and fans will not want to miss the excitement at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.”

21-year-old “Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Singapore is considered one of ONE Championship’s most outstanding athletes. She captured the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship with an awe-inspiring victory over Mei Yamaguchi in 2016, and has since then defended the title successfully on two occasions. Lee’s beautiful combination of elite striking and grappling has proven to be a potent formula for success, as she has remained unbeaten in her career. In the most recent bout of an impressive run, Lee dominated top contender Istela Nunes, showcasing her wide array of skills despite suffering from illness. She is widely-considered on a global scale to be one of the biggest names actively competing in the sport. She is set to defend her title next against Yamaguchi in a rematch.

35-year-old Japanese martial arts veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi is a female atomweight standout and a former ONE world title challenger from Tokyo. She is the DEEP Jewels Featherweight Champion, and owns seven submissions and two knockouts in her 28-bout professional career. In 2016, Yamaguchi challenged Angela Lee for the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship in an epic showdown that would later win multiple ‘Bout of the Year’ honors from international media publications. In her last outing, Yamaguchi thoroughly defeated Gina Iniong of the Philippines to win impressively by unanimous decision after three rounds. Yamaguchi is now set to take on champion Angela Lee in a highly-anticipated rematch.

29-year-old Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen is one of the most highly-regarded martial arts champions in the world. With an impressive 10-2 professional record, which includes three submissions and seven knockouts, Nguyen’s all-around skill set allows him to perform at the highest level of competition. All of Nguyen’s wins have come by exciting finish. Last November, Nguyen scored a scintillating knockout victory over the Philippines’ Eduard Folayang to become the first man in the history of ONE Championship to hold two titles simultaneously in different weight divisions, reigning as both ONE Featherweight & Lightweight World Champion. In his last bout, Nguyen figured in a historic showdown with ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes in Bangkok. Nguyen now makes a quick turnaround however, jumping right back into action as he defends his featherweight title against Christian Lee.

19-year-old Christian “The Warrior” Lee, younger brother of reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee, began his professional career on an absolute tear, railing off five straight victories by thrilling finish. He has impressed fans with his ability to seek out stoppage wins over top-caliber opponents featuring an exciting fan-friendly style. A former Pankration World Champion, Lee toppled Japanese veteran Kazunori Yokota in his most recent bout, winning via second-round guillotine choke to improve his record to 9-1. Riding an impressive four-bout winning streak with all four wins coming by finish, Lee is set to showcase his skills once more inside the ONE Championship cage. In his next bout, Lee now has the chance to become the youngest world champion in history when he challenges Martin Nguyen, the only man to ever defeat him, for the ONE Featherweight World Championship.

34-year-old Sam-A Gaiyanghadao is a Muay Thai legend and multiple-time Lumpinee Stadium world champion who is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world. As a Muay Thai practitioner, Sam-A owns a record of 364-46-9, and was known for his strong defense and counter offense. Now an instructor at Evolve in Singapore and a member of the prestigious Evolve Fight Team, Sam-A is set to make his ONE Super Series debut against Sergio Wielzen, whom he will compete against for the inaugural ONE Super Series Muay Thai Flyweight World Championship.

Lion Fight Muay Thai world lightweight champion, Sergio “Little One” Wielzen of Suriname is a Dutch-based martial artist training out of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. With a professional kickboxing record of 45-18-2, Wielzen has built a reputation as being an explosive striker with stunning knockout power. Despite being physically smaller than most of his opponents, Wielzen has won many of his bouts by knockout. He is also a former It’s Showtime 61MAX world champion. Wielzen is set to make his ONE Super Series debut opposite Muay Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao.

Global martial arts veteran Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki of Shizuoka, Japan, is one of the world’s most decorated athletes. He is a DREAM Lightweight Champion, Shooto Welterweight Champion, and former ONE Lightweight World Champion. The 34-year-old Aoki is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under the famed Yuki Nakai, and has won multiple grappling tournaments all over the world. Aoki also holds a black belt in judo and is widely considered one of the best pure grapplers in professional martial arts competition today. In his next bout, Aoki looks to regain his status among the promotion’s top lightweights as he takes on Rasul Yakhyaev.

26-year-old Rasul Yakhyaev of Grozny, Russia, is a lightweight competitor who has racked up a solid following over his seven-year professional career. A jiu-jitsu and combat sambo practitioner, he is adept in both striking and mat techniques, and is considered a solid contender with tremendous combat skills. A well-rounded warrior, four of Yakhyaev’s victories have come by submission while three have come by knockout. After establishing a name for himself in Eastern Europe, he made his ONE Championship debut in December of 2015. In his most recent contest, Yakhyaev defeated highly-regarded lightweight Shannon Wiratchai by unanimous decision. He now seeks to take his career to the next level against former world champion Shinya Aoki.

Indonesian martial arts veteran “The Terminator” Sunoto is a ONE Championship bantamweight and a former WKF Indonesia Champion. Representing IndoGym and Team Phantom, Sunoto features a style that combines elements of kickboxing, karate, and jiu-jitsu. With a penchant for scoring spectacular finishes, five of Sunoto’s eight victories have ended before the final bell. The 33-year-old is known as an aggressive warrior who never backs down from a challenge. In his last outing, Sunoto continued to impress on the global stage, defeating Hisyam Samsudin by unanimous decision. His next bout will be against Roel Rosauro of the Philippines.

29-year-old Roel “Akiyama” Rosauro of Cebu City, Philippines, is a Filipino martial arts prospect who trains in the art of Yaw-Yan. A striking specialist, Rosauro is known for his powerful hands and lightning-quick punches. Rosauro made his promotional debut at ONE: QUEST FOR GOLD opposite China’s Li Kai Wen, joining a growing list of promising featherweight talents in ONE Championship. He now returns to action seeking victory against Indonesian martial arts veteran Sunoto.

Wearing the club’s trademark blue and claret-coloured shirts, fans cheered as an open-top bus passed by carrying Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and other stars who were taking photos with their mobiles, throwing confetti or singing “champions, champions.”

It is the eighth time Barca have achieved the feat, although the celebratory parade through the city centre was not as well attended and less exuberant than in past years.

Not only did it take place in the middle of a long weekend, when many locals leave the city, but Barca fans are still reeling from their shock elimination by Roma in the Champions League quarter-finals.

“It’s an incomplete season, it feels like two titles is not enough,” says Enric Vilalta, a 57-year-old supporter who went to the victory parade with his two children wearing Barcelona shirts.

“The Copa (del Rey) is not the biggest award and La Liga is good but the Champions (League) is what generates excitement. You can lose in semi-finals or in the final, but not in the quarter-finals and against a lesser team.”

“What happened with Roma is a thorn in our side,” says Javier Gibello, a 37-year-old civil servant who also brought his son.

“But if I had to mark them, I’d give them a B plus.”

As arch-rivals Real Madrid continue their bid for a record-extending 13th Champions League title, Barca fans are left pondering what might have been had their turbulent season gone differently.

The departure of Brazilian star Neymar last summer came before defeat to Real in the Spanish Super Cup.

Barcelona regrouped, dominating their rivals on the pitch to win the Copa del Rey with a 5-0 demolition of Sevilla last week and then securing the league title, in their first season with Ernesto Valverde as coach, with a 4-2 win at Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday.

It is Barca’s seventh La Liga title in 10 years and their fourth consecutive Copa del Rey victory.

“The problem is we always want more,” says Trini Lorente, a 58-year-old supporter.

“But the season is really good, especially if tomorrow (Tuesday) Real Madrid loses,” joked her husband Jordi Olive, referring to the semi-final between their arch-rival and Bayern Munich.

Real, who beat Bayern 2-1 in the first leg of their semi-final last week, host the Bundesliga giants for the second leg on Tuesday.