Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool sensation, is having the season of his life.
The Egypt international has propelled the Reds to an 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, and he is the primary reason why the Merseysiders are on track to win the title.
What Liverpool wins as a team this season is what matters most, but fans can’t stop dreaming about Salah winning the Ballon d’Or.
The 32-year-old is one of the favourites to win this year, but Paul Merson worries it won’t happen for one reason.
According to Paul Merson, Mohamed Salah could miss out on the Ballon d’Or.
Salah is having one of the most impressive individual seasons in history.
Everyone knew the Egyptian was one of the top players in the world and capable of great things, but few anticipated him to perform as he has this season.
Salah has already directly contributed to more than 50 goals this season, and there are still plenty of games left in the season for him to add to his total.
That has to make him one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, but Merson believes Salah may lose out if Liverpool fail to win the Champions League.
The commentator has stated that he dislikes the criterion, but that is how awards work these days.
He stated on Sportskeeda: “Mohamed Salah’s numbers are simply mind-blowing. However, his Premier League performances alone will not help him win the Ballon d’Or.
“In order for Salah to win the Ballon d’Or in 2025, Liverpool must first win the Champions League. If I’m being honest, I don’t like it since we’re in the toughest league and our results here should be enough to get these honors, but that’s how they work.
“Salah has scored and assisted in games on multiple times this season. Most athletes would be thrilled if they could do that throughout their careers! He’s undoubtedly one of the top players in the world.
“Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr are the other candidates, both of them will stand a chance at winning the Ballon d’Or if Real Madrid win the Champions League.”
Mohamed Salah’s statistics compared to Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
Merson is correct; Salah’s biggest competition for the Ballon d’Or will be the two Real Madrid superstars, Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
If the Galacticos win the Champions League again this season, one of the top two players has a good chance of winning the Ballon d’Or.
Salah’s figures, however, suggest that he is on a level above both of them.
| Games | Goals | Assists | |
| Mohamed Salah in 2024/25 | 38 | 30 | 21 |
| Kylian Mbappe in 2024/25 | 38 | 27 | 4 |
| Vinicius Jr in 2024/25 | 33 | 17 | 12 |
Salah is now the favourite to win both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup, and his Liverpool team has already qualified for the Champions League knockout stages.
Winning Europe’s premier club championship will almost certainly assure him the Ballon d’Or, but even if the Reds fail to win the competition, we believe Salah should receive the Golden Ball.
The Egyptian is set to conclude the season with more than 60 or 65 direct goal contributions. That is an incredible return for any player, and not winning the Ballon d’Or after such a successful season will be difficult to accept.
