Ajax Amsterdam star Mohammed Kudus has been voted 2022 Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Footballer of the Year.
391 registered journalists with the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) cast their ballot in favour of the offensive midfielder who has become a target for most Premier League and stellar clubs in Europe.
As the numbers translate, Kudus scored 20 goals in 2861 minutes for both club and country in the calendar year.
Kudus, 22, beat off stiff competition from Black Stars captain Andre Ayew and Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey to claim the coveted prize.
Within the calendar year, the former Right to Dream Academy graduate notched 4 goals in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League for the 36-time Dutch champions.
Kudus was on target against Rangers at the Ibrox Stadium, scoring a 26th-minute goal and assisting Steven Berghuis to the opener in a game the Dutch giants won 3-1. The goal completed a back-to-back scoring against the Scottish powerhouse after scoring against them in July.
Kudus’ exploits didn’t stop there as he netted the consolation goal in a 6-1 loss to Napoli in early October. Prior to that, he had hogged the headlines in Europe after netting a classy finish at Anfield against Liverpool in the UEFA flagship competition.
Meanwhile, he has 6 goals in 665 Eredivisie minutes to his credit. In July, he climbed off the bench to score one of the consolation goals for Ajax in their 5-3 loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Super Cup.
Still, within the calendar year, Kudus scored 5 goals in 286 minutes for Ajax’s second-string side – Ajax II. In club friendlies, he scored 3 times in 114 minutes.
Further, the youngster who was one-time a target of Premier League outfit Everton scored 5 goals for Ghana in 2022 in 1999 minutes for the Black Stars. He was by far Ghana’s best performer at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scooping the Most Valuable Player of the Match Award against the Republic of Korea.
Andre Ayew came second in the rankings while Arsenal star Thomas Partey placed third with 73 votes.
