Mohamed Salah and the Ballon d’Or: The Crown That Keeps Slipping Away
Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian King who has carried Liverpool for years, is once again at the centre of football’s fiercest debate: how can a player of his brilliance still be denied the Ballon d’Or?
This time it wasn’t a lack of goals. It wasn’t a lack of assists. It wasn’t even a lack of silverware. Instead, critics pointed to an alleged “flaw” in his game — a label that many Liverpool supporters consider nothing more than an excuse to keep him off the podium.
On Monday night in Paris, football’s brightest stars gathered for the Ballon d’Or ceremony. When the dust settled, Salah had finished fourth. Behind Ousmane Dembélé, behind Lamine Yamal, behind Vitinha. For Liverpool fans, the verdict felt like a slap in the face. How could the Premier League’s top scorer and creator, the man who broke records while leading his team to the title, not even be treated as a genuine contender?
A Changing Award
The Ballon d’Or has morphed from a bonus honour into a global obsession, carrying weight comparable to the Champions League itself. With that prestige comes endless controversy. The voting system — dependent on scattered lists from journalists around the world — produces strange outcomes. Virgil van Dijk finishing 28th this year was one such anomaly, leaving many to question the credibility of the rankings.
But what stung most for Liverpool supporters wasn’t just the numbers — it was the conversation. The spotlight was dominated by whether Yamal could edge Dembélé, while Salah’s season was barely acknowledged on stage or in the media build-up.
Salah’s Case
Look at the campaign. Before December, Salah was untouchable: 14 goals and 10 assists, driving Liverpool to the Premier League summit and Champions League dominance. His pace, vision, and ruthless finishing made him the heartbeat of Arne Slot’s new-look side. Week after week, he was hailed as the best player in the world.
By comparison, Dembélé had five goals and five assists. Yamal, seven and nine. On paper, Salah was far ahead.
But football’s narrative is unforgiving. Dembélé delivered decisive moments late in the season — goals at Anfield, assists at Arsenal, heroics in the Champions League final. Yamal, at just 17, became a global darling, his youth and flair capturing imaginations everywhere. As the spotlight shifted, Salah’s extraordinary consistency was eclipsed.
The Debate That Won’t End
To Salah’s fans, the verdict is a robbery. To neutral observers, it’s a reminder of how the Ballon d’Or rewards moments over consistency, storylines over substance. Either way, the Egyptian’s absence from the final conversation underscores a brutal truth: sometimes greatness isn’t enough without the right narrative to match it.
For Salah, the Ballon d’Or remains the elusive crown. For Liverpool fans, the fire burns brighter — because in their eyes, the King of Anfield has already proven he doesn’t need a golden trophy to confirm what the numbers already say.
