Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has picked Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah as his Ballon d’Or winner. He snubbed Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal. Gravenberch, who played a pivotal role in Liverpool’s Premier League triumph, is currently on national duty with the Netherlands.
Playing in the World Cup qualifiers, the Dutch national team defeated Finland 2-0 on Saturday, June 7, in Helsinki. After the game, the Dutch midfielder was asked about his pick for the Ballon d’Or winner. In response to the question, Gravenberch named Mohamed Salah.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder said (via the Touchline on X)
The Egyptian forward played 52 games for Liverpool last season, scoring 34 goals and providing 18 assists across all competitions. Salah won the Premier League Golden Boot with 29 goals and was also named the ‘Player of the Season’.
However, his Ballon d’Or-winning chances suffered a blow after Liverpool were eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain. Additionally, the Reds also lost to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final, while they were eliminated in the FA Cup fourth round by Plymouth Argyle.
PSG completed the treble, and their star was Ousmane Dembele. Lamine Yamal also enjoyed a breakout season as Barcelona won the domestic treble.
Real Madrid attacker Kylian Mbappe has backed his French teammate Ousmane Dembele to win the Ballon d’Or over Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. The former PSG attacker has stated that he would vote for Dembele to win the coveted individual accolade.
The French attacker told RMC Sport (via Madrid Universal):
Dembele, who joined Les Parisiens from Bracelone in the summer of 2023, played a crucial role in PSG’s treble-winning campaign. In 49 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants, he scored 33 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal bagged 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 games, helping Barcelona win the La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. France and Spain also clashed in the UEFA Nations League last week, where La Roja recorded a 5-4 victory.
Shashank has been a Liverpool supporter since 2014 and had first stumbled upon the club after receiving a gift which had the words ‘Liverpool FC’ written on it. He has idolised Steven Gerrard over the years but his favorite football memory is the Reds’ incredible comeback 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semis. He, unsurprisingly, also loves Jurgen Klopp’s managerial style.
He strives to report 100% accurate content by going through several social media platforms, and prides himself on his above-average vocabulary and researching skills. In his career so far, Shashank has had the privilege of interviewing Indian national football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Shashank also follows the Indian Super League and the Eredivisie along with European Football. In his off time, he likes to do theatre, watch Tennis, and travel.
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