Any optimistic bid for the Ballon d’Or will be dependant on Salah delivering against the very best – starting with the world’s current best player.
Former Liverpool winger Harry Kewell caused a stir this week when he suggested to talkSPORT that Mohamed Salah should be in contention for the Ballon d’Or.
The former Roma man’s astounding first season at Anfield has him in the picture for the domestic player of the year awards, but Kewell tipped him to go one better.
Kewell told talkSPORT: “If he was to have a fantastic World Cup, gets a couple of goals and plays well, and then continues again next season, why not go for the Ballon d’Or?
“He’s got the goals. I don’t see why he couldn’t do it.”
Of course any bid may well require Salah to carry Liverpool all the way in the Champions League but, as Kewell points out, he will also need to impress with Egypt on the international stage.
And while the World Cup is still three months away, Salah’s first opportunity to prove his class with his country comes on Friday.
Egypt face Portugal, giving the 25-year-old a platform to take on 2017 Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo in Zurich.
Both teams are preparing for this summer’s tournament and may well opt against giving their star men the full 90 minutes as they assess various options, but Salah will almost certainly have a good hour to show his worth.
Salah and Ronaldo were key to their respective sides’ qualification and will have to perform again in the summer if either country are to advance.
It is very unlikely that Egypt will make the latter stages of the tournament, meaning Salah’s chances of a Ballon d’Or may well depend on impressing in matches against the world’s best.
The bid starts this week…
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