Surprising Liverpool player nominated for the Ballon d'Or alongside Salah, Van Dijk and Wirtz

Mohamed Salah will be among the favourites to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or after his contributions for Liverpool last season, as he sees himself nominated alongside Virgil van Dijk, Florian Wirtz and one unusual Reds star.

Salah displayed Ballon d’Or-winning form for the Reds as he broke the all-time Premier League goal contributions record on the way to securing the club’s 20th league title.

At times, it felt like the Egyptian carried the side single-handedly on his back for most of the campaign as he narrowly missed out on adding the all-time Premier League assists record to his long list of accolades.

Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images

Now, the Ballon d’Or nominations are in, and while Salah expectedly joins a few of his Liverpool teammates on the final shortlist, there is one name that sticks out above the crowd.

Alexis Mac Allister receives Ballon d’Or nomination

The 30-man shortlist for this year’s award, which will be crowned in Ontario, Canada, on 22 September, included eight Premier League players.

Four of them play their football at Anfield: summer signing Florian Wirtz, captain Virgil van Dijk, and surprise nominee Alexis Mac Allister representing the Reds.

Mac Allister has been ever-present in the Anfield midfield since his £35 million move from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023 and is off the back of his most productive season to date.

The 26-year-old provided seven goals and six assists across all competitions for the Reds and, of course, played a pivotal role in helping bring the Premier League title back to the club.

Mac Allister’s form has attracted Real Madrid’s attention, and while the Anfield faithful have been down this road before, they can rest assured knowing their Argentine midfielder has no immediate intention to leave for pastures new.

It is unlikely Mac Allister will follow in countryman Lionel Messi’s footsteps and win the award in September – but after Rodri received the honour in 2024 and Luka Modric in 2018, anything is possible.

Nevertheless, it is a testament to Arne Slot and the job he has performed throughout his maiden year at Anfield to see the Premier League nominations dominated by his squad.

Will Mohamed Salah win the Ballon d’Or?

For the fourth time in the history of the Ballon d’Or, the winner will be judged on the results of the season as opposed to the calendar year.

Therefore, Salah can no longer plead his case heading into the upcoming campaign and will be judged solely on last year’s efforts, which may work in his favour.

Salah is among the top five all-time Premier League goal scorers as a result of his contributions, and while the Champions League eluded the Reds, he finished the season as the most productive forward in Europe.

Photo by Franco Arland – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

As a result of PSG’s Champions League triumph, Ousmane Dembele will be considered one of the frontrunners for the award. However, if we are to remove trophies and focus on individual achievement and brilliance, Salah wins every day of the week.

Salah will undoubtedly find himself in the top three if judged purely on merit. Regardless of the outcome, Liverpool will be hoping the Egyptian continues his scintillating form ahead of a Premier League title defence this term.

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