Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has spoken about his dreams of winning the Ballon d’Or. However, although he has enjoyed a remarkable season for the Reds at Anfield, he has admitted that it is not in his hands.
Salah’s season has been incredible, with 33 goals and 23 assists in just 49 games so far. His performances have helped Liverpool win their 20th league title. The club’s Champions League and Carabao Cup exits, though, have gone against his Ballon d’Or prospects.
During an interview with France Football, the 32-year-old striker admitted (via GFFN):
Despite the setbacks, Salah remains optimistic about future opportunities:
Players like Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele have a bigger chance of winning the coveted award. He has not been as phenomenal as Mohamed Salah, having delivered 33 goals and 13 assists across all competitions. However, aside from clinching the Ligue 1 title, he has led the Parisians to the UEFA Champions League final.
Michael Owen stands as the only Liverpool player to win the Ballon d’Or, when he won it as a 22-year-old in 2001. He notably played a decisive role in their treble season as he helped the Reds to triumph in the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup.
Other players at Anfield have not managed this accolade. Steven Gerrard finished third in 2005, after his role in their Champions League victory. Fernando Torres also finished third in 2008 after a goal-rich season at Anfield and a successful Euro 2008 tournament with Spain.
In 2019, Virgil van Dijk nearly won the Ballon d’Or, falling short by only seven points to Lionel Messi. The Reds dominated that year, with Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Alisson Becker also making it into the top ten.
Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha’s play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian’s love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.
Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 is Nnanna’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and also follows Major League Soccer due to the diminutive Argentine. He strongly believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could be the next two superstars in the same light as legendary pair Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
When not writing, he likes to play Football Manager and other simulation games.
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