Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
George Weah remains the only African to win the prize and the Liverpool forward’s form in the past year has put him in a similar bracket to the Liberian. “The Egyptian King” scored 29 goals and assisted a further 18 to lead the Reds to the Premier League title, but he could not take them further than the last 16 in the Champions League. Arne Slot played Salah in every league match, a sign of his importance and his stupendous fitness. “He’s had very, very, very good seasons at Liverpool but this one probably stands out in terms of numbers,” Arne Slot said of Salah’s Ballon d’Or chances. “If there’s ever a chance for him, it would be this season. If not, then he’s going to try to push even harder next season”. Turning 33 in mid-June, this might be Salah’s final chance to achieve the highest personal accolade in the game, even if his head coach thinks otherwise.
