Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah revealed that he first began to consider profitable the Ballon d’Or after finishing his transfer to Anfield again in 2017.
Salah, together with Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, are among the many favourites to win the person prize this yr.
The Egyptian loved a stellar season for Arne Slot’s staff, netting 34 targets and offering 23 assists throughout 52 appearances in all competitions for the Reds.
He led Liverpool to their second high flight title in 5 years, whereas additionally tying the file for probably the most targets and assists mixed in a single Premier League marketing campaign (47).
Salah was additionally the fifth completely different participant in Premier League historical past to be named Participant of the Season on a couple of event, after Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Kevin De Bruyne.
The 33-year-old additionally claimed his fourth Golden Boot, going stage with Henry for probably the most within the competitors, which has put him firmly in competition to raise the Ballon d’Or.
“If I win it, it might be nice. If I don’t win it, I believe my profession will even be excellent,” Salah instructed France Soccer.
“However that picture is in my head, all the time. I simply wish to win it for my individuals. That’s the factor that’s caught in my head.”
The final – and solely – Liverpool participant to win the Ballon d’Or was Michael Owen in 2001.
Salah scored 32 targets and offered 10 assists in his debut marketing campaign with Liverpool within the Premier League in 2017-18. Following his spectacular run of kind in 2024-25, he’s the one participant within the competitors’s historical past to file 40 or extra aim involvements in two separate seasons.
However regardless of his spectacular consistency throughout his eight-year keep on Merseyside, Salah has by no means completed larger than fifth within the Ballon d’Or, which got here in 2019, coming in behind team-mates Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk as Lionel Messi scooped the highest prize.
Now, after profitable each the Premier League and Soccer Writers’ Affiliation Participant of the Yr awards final month, the previous Chelsea and Roma ahead is hopeful he can turn out to be simply the second African to win the award – and pay homage to his native Egypt.
“It wasn’t in my head once I was that younger, as a result of while you play in Egypt on the road, you don’t see your self profitable the Ballon d’Or,” Salah stated.
“The primary time it triggered was when Ramy [Abbas, Salah’s agent] spoke to me about it. I believe I began to imagine it extra in Liverpool, not in Rome.
“A number of winners in recent times have been of their thirties. So, who is aware of?
“After which, subsequent season guarantees to be thrilling with the defence of our title with Liverpool and the Champions League, AFCON with Egypt and the World Cup.”