Mohamed Salah silence and absence speaks volumes as Liverpool response expected

This week's Blood Red column assesses Mohamed Salah's Ballon d'Or omission and how it might stand to actually benefit Liverpool

As Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk strolled into the entrance of Paris' Theatre du Chatelet on Monday evening, looking suitably sharp for the big occasion, Mohamed Salah was conspicuous only by his absence. As part of Liverpool's contingent at the Ballon d'Or awards, Alisson and Van Dijk were on hand to mark their respective inclusions on the night.

Alisson finished second to new Manchester City man Gianluigi Donnarumma, who took home the Yachine Award for best goalkeeper, while Van Dijk ended up being formally recognised as the 28th best player in the world over the last 12 months.

Florian Wirtz (29) and Alexis Mac Allister (22) were also not present as Salah finished as the Reds' highest-ranked on the night in fourth. But having failed to turn out alongside his colleagues and head coach Arne Slot, that it would not be his night was obvious long before the actual confirmation.

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Salah kept his counsel in the immediate aftermath, refusing to make public any private grievance he might have had with the polling or the identity of the eventual winner, Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele.

Perhaps in an effort to steer clear entirely of the debate, the Egypt captain did not even post to congratulate France star Dembele on his achievement.

Privately, though, his decision to stay well away on the night, particularly with a big contingent from Merseyside travelling, said a lot.

There was little more Salah could have done to have been crowned the world's best player. He tore through the Premier League last season, plundering 29 goals and creating 18 assists, finishing top of both columns in world football's most unforgiving and demanding league as Liverpool cantered to the title by 10 points.

Despite scoring a barely believable 44 times in his maiden campaign on Merseyside in 2017/18, there was a strong argument that Salah's otherworldly output under Slot was his best year to date as a Reds player and it will have stung to have missed out on the big prize on Monday evening.

There are some politics involved, of course. European clubs tend to lobby more aggressively and proactively for their best players to appear nearer the top of the shortlist than their Premier League counterparts and it's interesting to note that English football has only had one Ballon d'Or winner - Manchester City's Rodri in 2024 - since 2008, when Cristiano Ronaldo scooped it as a Manchester United star.

Even that award for Rodri was met with controversy, particularly from Real Madrid, whose reaction to Vinicius Junior being overlooked was frankly embarrassing. There were no such antics at Anfield and Slot wasn't even asked about the ceremony in his Friday press conference, proving how the event is nowhere near as grandiose in the eyes of English football watchers as it is elsewhere on the continent.

Perhaps Salah's Champions League fate counted against him and the fact that Liverpool were eliminated by Dembele's PSG on penalties is something that has rankled particularly with Slot since that night at Anfield in March.

"For us, Salah is not just a professional player," one Egypt source told the ECHO this week. "He's an inspiring icon, a symbol of the Egyptian players' ability to compete at the highest international level."

Another added: "The Egyptian public believes Salah deserves [more] recognition - not only for what he achieved this season, but for being a symbol of consistency and excellence in one of the toughest leagues in the world over many years."

There is little point being coy over the events of Monday night, or downplaying the outcome where Salah is concerned. The 33-year-old has made a career out of his single-mindedness and without that obsession to his output, he wouldn't be where he finds himself today; as a modern-day great who is less than 100 goals away from overtaking Ian Rush's all-time tally of 346 goals.

So to pretend a finish outside the top three of the Ballon d'Or on the back of last season won't be viewed as a snub is likely to be disingenuous.

It was telling that Liverpool's official accounts immediately paid tribute to the Premier League's current Golden Boot holder just moments after Dembele was announced as the winner on Monday night. He is appreciated around these parts, even if his contributions are somewhat overlooked in favour of younger and perhaps trendier names on the continent.

But if there is to be any material benefit for Liverpool, a scorned Salah may just feel as though he is now ready to showcase exactly why he should have been suited and booted on the red carpet on Monday night.

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