The 25-year old, who plays for English side Liverpool, was honoured at the CAF Awards Gala 2017 in Ghana's capital Accra.

Salah fended off opposition from club team-mate Sadio Mane of Senegal and Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the winner in 2015, to become the first Egyptian to win the most prestigious individual honour in African football.

He polled 625 points from a voting panel made up of national team coaches and captains, plus a selection of officials and journalists.

Mane finished second on 507 points with Aubameyang third on 311.

"Winning this award is a dream come true," Salah said after receiving the trophy.

"Twenty-seventeen was an unbelievable year for me.

"I would like to dedicate it to all the kids in Africa and Egypt.

"I want to tell them to never stop dreaming, never stop believing."

Salah helped Egypt reach their first World Cup since 1990 by topping Group E in the third round of CAF qualification.

The last of his five goals over the course of the campaign was a stoppage-time penalty against Congo in October, securing a 2-1 win and his country's place at Russia 2018.

Salah was also a key player for Egypt on their way to finishing runners-up to Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations.

He joined Liverpool from Italian outfit Roma in June 2017 and has since scored 23 goals, including 17 in the Premier League, in 29 games this season.

The CAF Women's Player of the Year award was won by Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala.

It is the third time she has claimed the honour having also done so in 2014 and 2016.

Oshoala, who plays for Chinese club Dalian Quanjian, beat Cameroon’s Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene and South Africa’s Chrestina Kgatlana to the prize.

Egypt were named the men’s national team of the year, while manager Héctor Cúper of Argentina was crowned Coach of the Year.

South Africa were announced as the women’s national team of the year.