Mohamed Salah has been dismissed for football’s top awards far too often, but his season to date means he can’t be ‘ruled out’ of Ballon d’Or contention, says Arsene Wenger.
There is a world outside Anfield’s four walls where Salah is not as widely appreciated as his peers, despite his incredible consistency when it comes to goal contributions.
In just 38 appearances this season, the Egyptian already has 30 goals and 21 assists for a total 51 contributions – and we are still only in February!
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He may be 32 years of age but he is performing better than ever – making the contract debacle all the more dumbfounding, but that’s a debate for another day.
No player across the world’s top divisions, inclusive of national and international cups, have had more goal involvements than Salah in 2024/25, putting him firmly at the top of the discussion for the Ballon d’Or.
It is heavily weighted by the trophies a player wins, fairly or unfairly, but there is presently no better player than Liverpool’s No. 11, and Wenger’s analysis is a testament to why that is.
On the Ballon d’Or discussion, Wenger told beIN SPORTS: “There are others, but you wouldn’t rule him out. You have Mbappe, he certainly will fight with him, Vinicius will fight with him.
“I would say [vs. Man City] we see again at half-time, what we have seen so many times in the modern game, 67 percent possession for Man City, 2-0 for Liverpool.
“This is down to people who have a level above, like Salah. He scored the goal and made an assist, I read somewhere he contributed, with his goals and assists, to 31 points of Liverpool this season.
?? "You can't rule him out for any special award, this guy is exceptional. What I love the most in his career? He became better and better every year."
Arsene Wenger on @MoSalah's Ballon d'Or chances!#beINPL #MCILIV #LFC pic.twitter.com/rMtUY5xXcK
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) February 23, 2025
“You cannot rule him out for any special award, this guy is exceptional,” the former Arsenal manager eulogised.
“What I love the most in his career [is] he became better and better every year. More clinical, he does less quantity [at City] but he doesn’t lose in quality.
“That shows he’s not only a great talent but, as well, a very intelligent player.
“I played against Salah when he created six chances and scored one goal, today he creates maybe two chances and this goes to two goals.
“What I like in his career, in his development, he has found a good balance between obsession to score goals and giving the ball.
“You know we had the period between him and Mane, there were tensions because everybody tried to score without passing the ball, and he understands that to be really great he is also to contribute. He’s done that extremely well.”
Salah finished fifth in the 2019 and 2022 Ballon d’Or, but to think he was not even in the top 30 in 2024 – try snub him this time!
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