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Paul Merson explains the one reason why Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah may not win the Ballon d’Or this season
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is having the season of his life.
The Egypt international has fired the Reds to an 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, and he is the bigges💜t reason why the Merseysiders are on their way to winning ♕the title.
What Liverpool will win as a team this season will be the mo🅺st important thing, but f🤡ans can’t stop thinking about Salah lifting the Ballon d’Or.
The 32-year-old is among the favourites to win it this year, but Paul Merson fears it may not happen because of one reason.
Paul Merson says Mohamed Salah could miss out on the Ballon d’Or
Salah is pro🐽ducing one of the greatest individual seasꦉons in history.
Everybody knew that the Egyptian is one of the best players in the world and iꦬs capable of great things, but not many people expected to see him do what he has 🍬done this term.
Salah has🌺 already directly contributed to over 50 goals this season, and there’s still a lot of games left in the campaign for him to add more to his tally.
That has to make him one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, but Merson believes Salah could miss out if Liverpool fail to do one thing – win the Champions League.
The pundit has claimed that he doesn’t like that criteria, but that’s how awards wꦍork these days.
He wrote on Sportskeeda🤪: “Mohamed Salah’s numbers are just mind-blowing. But performances in the Premier League alone w🐠on’t help him win the Ballon d’Or.
“Liverpool have to win the Champions League for Salah to become a Ballon d’Or winner in 2025. I don’t like that if I’m being honest because we are in the to👍ughest league and performances here should be deserving enough, but this is just how these awards work.
“Salah has scored and assisted in♛ a game on ll different occasions this season. Most players would be happy if they did that in their entire career! He’s certainly one of the best players in the world.
“Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr are the other candidates, bot🍎h of them will stand a chance at winning the Ballon d’Or if Real Madrid win the Champions League.”
Mohamed Salah’s stats compared to Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr
Merson is right, Salah’s main rivals 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, there is ever♒y chance that one of the above two will win the Ballon d’Or.
But, Salah’s numbers shoꦜw that he is levels 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 the Premier League as well as the Carabao Cup, and his Liverpool side have alr🍨eady made it to the knockout stages of t♏he Champions League.
Winning Europe’s elite club competition will definitely guarantee him the Bal🥀lon d’Or, but even if the Reds fall short in the competition, we t꧃hink Salah should get the Golden Ball.
The Egyptian will likely end the season with over 60 or 65 direct goal contributions. That is a crazy return for any ꦡplayer, and not winning the Ballon d’Or after a season that good wiℱll be hard to take.