From a paper perspective, Mohamed Salah’s night was underwhelming. The forward for Liverpool placed 11th in the final Ballon d’Or rankings, which is his lowest ranking since joining the team.
Erling Haaland broke Salah’s record for most Premier League goals in a season, and the Manchester City striker went on to surpass his greatest Ballon d’Or performance. Nevertheless, Lionel Messi’s historic World Cup victory proved to be too much for the voters, and the Norwegian was unable to claim the trophy.
Among others who finished ahead of the Liverpool legend were Vinícius Júnior, Victor Osimhen, and Kylian Mbappé. Salah will know that time is running out to secure the top slot in a career that has undoubtedly earned at least one Ballon d’Or. There was no shame in losing to any of those chosen.
But it’s important to take this award’s background into account. Recall that the Ballon d’Or is now granted based on the preceding season rather than the calendar year, in line with the majority of other sports.
Five Manchester City players were among the ten players that finished ahead of Salah. It is an individual prize, of course, but it was inevitable that several players would receive credit as a result of Pep Guardiola’s team winning the triple, which included the illusive Champions League. Half of the top 10 was supplied by the Etihad, including Haaland’s teammates Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Julián Álvarez (who also won the World Cup).
Furthermore, voters were not excessively influenced in this situation. Team success is a component that must be taken into consideration; it is explicitly specified as the second of three criteria for determining the award (via Goal).
Every player that finished ahead of Salah actually took home a trophy from their club or their country. The Real Madrid teammates Vinícius and Luka Modrić won the Copa del Rey, Super Cup, and Club World Cup despite having the least impressive season in terms of major trophies.
In contrast, consider Liverpool. At Anfield, the season was, to put it mildly, dismal; the team finished fifth in the league, the Champions League terminated at the Round of 16, and both domestic cups ended in the fourth round. The Community Shield was the only trophy of mentioning.
It is quite an accomplishment for any member of that team to have even made the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist. It’s amazing how close Salah came to making the top 10.
It is impossible to overestimate the caliber of individual play required in a team that is so far off the pace to distinguish oneself as one of the greatest in the world. However, Salah accomplished just that, contributing 31 goals in the Premier League and another 10 in the very brief Champions League season.
He only slipped six spots from his best-ever Ballon d’Or result (fifth, twice), despite the team’s troubles. In a Liverpool team that has wavered over the past few seasons between excellence and disappointment, Salah has been the lone pillar of consistency.
That ought to serve as a sobering reminder for Liverpool. Fortunately, things have turned around for the team, and a refreshed group appears ready to contend for a while again. However, Salah continues to be an integral part of that, regardless of his standing as a member of the “old guard.”
Salah undoubtedly has reason to be enthusiastic about his prospects of winning the Ballon d’Or the next season. He may need some assistance from Liverpool in the form of awards, but in his first ten league games, he has already contributed 12 goals.
Salah’s future needs to be resolved by Liverpool, notwithstanding Saudi Arabia’s interest. We are not dealing with a typical 31-year-old; rather, Jürgen Klopp has emphasized that he is still very much at the top of his game and may even be reaching new heights.
Salah won’t consider this Ballon d’Or finish to be his greatest accomplishment. However, when taken in perspective, it might just be his best performance at the ceremony. It also couldn’t have come at a better time for Liverpool to be reminded of the caliber of player it has on its hands.
