Egypt manager makes emotional plea for Liverpool's Mohamed Salah to win the Ballon d'Or

Mohamed Salah is aiming to put the cherry on top of a sensational 2024/25 campaign by winning the Ballon d’Or on Monday night.

The Egyptian was comfortably the outstanding player in the Premier League last term, racking up an incredible 29 goals and 18 assists.

That was enough for Salah to to scoop all of the respective player of the year awards, as well as the Golden Boot and Playmaker trophy.

Now, Liverpool‘s Egyptian King is aiming for the biggest individual prize of all.

However, Salah has plenty of competition to be named as the de facto best player in the world. PSG’s Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona may be ahead of him in the running.

But as the winner prepares to be announced in a ceremony in Paris, Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has pleaded with the decision-makers to do the right thing and recognise Salah.

Mohamed Salah told why he deserves the Ballon d’Or

For many football fans, the Ballon d’Or has little to no relevance. It is essentially a popularity contest which rarely recognises the actual outstanding individual in the sport.

Nevertheless, players do place a lot of stock in it, and Salah is on record saying how big of an ambition it is to win the trophy.

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Taking to Instagram on Sunday evening, as corroborated by Egyptian outlet WinWin Hassan shared a mocked-up photograph of Salah holding the Ballon d’Or, explaining exactly why Liverpool’s No. 11 is the rightful winner.

“Considering the difficulties he has faced throughout his career, he deserves it,” writes the coach. “Considering the challenges he has overcome, he deserves it. Considering the years of brilliance, excellence, and creativity in the strongest league in the world, he deserves it.”

“It is hard to reach the top, but the real difficulty lies in staying at the top,” Hassan continues. “And he has reached the top and remained there for many years, thanks to God first, and to his talent, hard work, and determination.. becoming a role model for everyone striving for success.

“So, isn’t it time for football, and for those who decide the winner, to do him justice? Our prayers, and the prayers of all Egyptians and all of Salah’s fans around the world, are that Salah will be the winner of the Ballon d’Or.. an ultimate crowning of the career of a great player, one who may never be repeated in the history of Egyptian, Arab, African, and even world football.”

Will Salah win the Ballon d’Or?

It is hard for any football fan to legitimately argue with anything Hassan has put forward here. Compared to his challengers this year, Salah has been consistently brilliant.

Both aged 28, neither Dembele and Raphinha, another favourite from Barcelona, have ever even been nominated for the Ballon d’Or during their careers.

Salah has had four top ten finishes, showing the consistently high level he has achieved over the years. Last season was his crowning moment and deserves to be recognised as such.

Nevertheless, it cannot be overlooked that Liverpool’s poor performance in the Champions League may ultimately count against Salah.

Dembele won a treble with PSG and was decisive in big games in Europe, including at Anfield against the Reds. It is going to be tight, and Liverpool fans will be desperate for Salah to earn the biggest crown of all. But it feels like Dembele might be the one who edges it.

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