The Liverpool legend explains why 2025 is Mohamed Salah’s ‘best chance’ to win the Ballon d’Or
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has backed Mohamed Salah to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or after putting in the numbers in the first half of this season to rival the best of his generation.
Salah’s goal and two assists Liverpool’s defeat to West Ham United on Sunday took him to 30 combined Premier League goals and assists halfway through the Premier League season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has only exceeded that mark once in this part of the season. Lionel Messi has only done it twice, prompting Carragher to remark Sky Sports that “we are looking at an ‘all-time’ season” from Salah.
“A few weeks ago, I said he was in the top five to ever play for Liverpool. If he leads Liverpool to the league title and ends up as the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, it will be the third time he’s won it and not someone has won it three times ,” Carragher explained.
“If it works, it’s not [just] in the top five, he is actually battling with Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard [considered] Liverpool’s greatest ever player. If he can add to what he has already done Liverpoolleaving Ian Rush and Graeme Souness behind.”
But more than further cementing his status at Liverpool is at stake, as the stars may have aligned Salah to finally win the Ballon d’Or – he would become only the second African winner after George Weah, and the first in 30 years.
“I always think the Ballon d’Or revolves around an international tournament or the Champions League. It’s always difficult for Egypt – I don’t think they won the Africa Cup of Nations with Salah – and obviously not at the World Cup either,” Carragher said.
“The fact is that there are no tournaments in the summer [helps Salah]. If Liverpool were to win the league and enter the Champions League final, or win it, [Kylian] Mbappe did not start at Real Madrid the way he would have liked, [Erling] Haaland is not at his best, I think that these factors together will be the best opportunity [Salah] has ever had to win the Ballon d’Or.
“He’s probably number one right now. If he repeats what he did in the first half of the season [in the second half]I think he will win the Ballon d’Or.”
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