But the truth of the matter is that Salah won the Ballon d’Or, presented by France Football magazine, is unlikely this year.
The most important award in the world of football is given at the end of each year, in honor of the best player in the world of football during the year, but in fact it is a culmination of the players’ performance at the end of last season, and not at the beginning of the current season.
Therefore, the closest to the award, according to experts, are the players who won titles last season, both domestic and continental.
Despite his impressive performance, Salah failed to achieve any title personally, or with his team, during 2021.
With Liverpool, Salah failed to achieve any title this year, and was satisfied with third place in the English Premier League, and he was eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
On the personal level, Salah failed to achieve the title of top scorer in the league, trailing the Englishman Harry Kane, and in the Champions League, he came third with 6 goals, 4 goals behind the Norwegian Erling Haaland.
With the absence of individual and group titles during 2021, his “exceptional” level during the start of this season will not be enough to nominate him mainly for the most expensive award.
Who are the top candidates?
The most prominent candidates for the award are 4 players: Argentine Lionel Messi, Italian Jorginho, Polish Robert Lewandowski, and French Karim Benzema.
In terms of titles, Jorginho is the most prominent, as he is the player who won the two most prominent titles during 2021, the European Champions League title with Chelsea, and the European Cup title with Italy.
Lionel Messi is considered the most prominent in terms of personal and collective performance. He achieved the title of top scorer in the Spanish League and starred in his last season with Barcelona, then he achieved the desired title with his country, the Copa America, and “kidnapped” him from the Brazilian rival.
The Polish striker Lewandowski also scored many achievements in 2021, which is the German League title, and he broke the record for the number of goals per season in the history of the league, as well as snatching the European Golden Boot award.
Although Salah’s opportunity seems “difficult” to achieve the Golden Ball this season, his continuity at this level, winning a title with Liverpool at the end of the year, and reaching the 2022 World Cup with his country, may be sufficient factors for him to be the only Arab to win the most expensive award.
France Football will award the Ballon d’Or to the best player in 2021, on November 29.
.