One former Liverpool forward already made his feelings known about Mohamed Salah not winning the Ballon d’Or award
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Mohamed Salah has come fourth in the Ballon d’Or 2025 rankings. If the continued snubbing of the Egyptian was already ‘out of hand’ in former Liverpool teammate Daniel Sturridge’s eyes, those feelings will have increased now.
Salah, 33, is still yet to win the prize for best men’s player of the year. His fourth-placed finish this time around is the highest he has ever ranked, beating his fifth-placed finishes of 2019 and 2022, having recently won the Premier League title as Liverpool‘s highest goal contributor.
Paris Saint-Germain treble winners Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha came first and third respectively, either side of second-placed Barcelona talent Lamine Yamal.
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Flashback to February of this year, midway through the previous campaign, and ex-Reds striker Daniel Sturridge was wholeheartedly arguing that something would be amiss if Salah did not collect the individual prize this year.
“We’re talking Ballon d’Or’s now. If we’re not talking Ballon d’Or’s for Mohamed Salah now, then it’s getting out of hand,” the 36-year-old commented as a Sky Sports pundit after watching the Egyptian score and assist in a 2-0 away victory over Manchester City. “We have to start putting him in that conversation now and say it. I don’t even know if he’s had a top five vote or a top three vote yet.”
Fellow former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher asked: “Why do you think he hasn’t?”
To which Sturridge replied: “I have no idea, to be totally transparent. When you look at maybe the history of the award, typically it goes to someone in La Liga.”
That was not the case this time around as PSG’s treble was too alluring for the voting journalists from FIFA’s top 100-ranked nations chose Dembele overall. The 28 scored 35 and assisted 16 in all competitions last term.
But the fact still stands, Salah is yet to win a Ballon d’Or in his career. The man himself has already proven it is not top of his thinking, as last December Salah told Sky Sports: “The only thing in my mind, to be fair, is I want Liverpool to win the league and I just want to be part of that.
“That’s the only thing I’ve really focused [on] since the beginning of the season. I will do my best for the team to win trophies.
“We are in the right direction but of course, there are a few other teams really trying to catch up with us and they are very good teams. We just need to stay focused and humble, work hard and just go again.”
Salah was not in attendance at the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday night. This left head coach Arne Slot and his staff, sporting director Richard Hughes, captain Virgil van Dijk, and goalkeeper Alisson Becker as Liverpool’s representatives.
Alexis Mac Allister missed the event for ‘personal’ reasons whilst Florian Wirtz was not spotted either.
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