This question has been on the minds of many football fans as they witnessed the 25-year-old Egyptian striker’s performance throughout the season. Sir Alex Ferguson once said that Inside Forwards are more dangerous than traditional Forwards. The Egyptian appears to be trying to prove Ferguson’s comments true. He has displayed explosive bouts of pace, exceptional fitness levels, extraordinary shooting accuracy and the way of life about him.
So once again, does Mo Salah have any chance of winning the Ballon d’Or? Not yet!
The reason is quite simple: Liverpool as a team have not won any trophies this season so far. So does this count? If it does. Despite all their exploits, the team has not been successful in any major competition apart from the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool just won the first leg of their semi-final against AS Roma 5-2. Salah proved instrumental in this destruction of his old club once again as he finished the match with 2 goals and 2 assists. He had managed to score seven goals in his 7 Champions League outings during the run up to the Semi Finals. He has displayed amazing form off the charts throughout the Premier League season. But unless Liverpool win the Champions League, their dream of winning the Ballon d’Or will remain just that, a dream.
But things haven’t always gone according to the Egyptian’s script. His initial entry into the Premier League was with Chelsea, who bought him from FC Basel. But he was only able to make 13 appearances and score 2 goals before being loaned out to the Italian team, Fiorentina. He was then loaned out to AS Roma, who bought him from Chelsea for a full transfer. He enjoyed considerable success at the club. Liverpool then bought Roma before the start of the 2017-18 season. Many of the pundits expressed doubts about Salah’s ability to adapt to the Premier League. But all of them have been silenced now, given his performance and the attacking prowess he has shown.
Salah also helped Egypt qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, his first appearance since the 1990 World Cup. He emerged as Egypt’s top scorer during the qualifying tournament and scored both goals in the biggest game against Egypt. Congo. He has so far scored 43 times for Liverpool this season and is second only to Ian Rush for the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in a single season.
Mo Salah has already been named the Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year. So let’s hope Liverpool keep their momentum and pick up their current form in the second leg against AS Roma.