Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are the best of friends at Liverpool, but they’re the greatest of enemies on the international stage at the moment.
Indeed, Salah must be absolutely sick of the sight of Mane and his Senegal team by now. In the last three months, Mane’s side have beaten Egypt in an African Cup of Nations final on penalties, while they’ve also cost them a place at the World Cup, beating them on penalties in a crucial playoff.
Salah will, understandably, be devastated about missing out on Qatar, but in a wider context, Mane’s Senegal team may have cost him more than just a place at the biggest tournament on the planet.
Indeed, Salah’s international failings may well end up costing him this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Salah is undoubtedly one of the frontrunners for the Golden Ball this year, but his lack of participation at this year’s World Cup will, unfortunately, hamper his chances.
Whether you like it or not, the World Cup has a massive say in who wins the Ballon d’Or.
Luka Modric, Fabio Cannavaro, Paolo Rossi, Lothar Matthaus, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo all won Ballons d’Or largely based on their performances at a World Cup, while there has only ever been one Ballon d’Or winner in a World Cup year that didn’t play at the tournament – Kevin Keegan in 1978.
With the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe and Kevin De Bruyne all headed to Qatar, the odds are stacked against Salah, and it’s partially Mane’s fault.
Salah’s dreams of a Ballon d’Or aren’t dead and buried yet. After all, Liverpool are still on for the quadruple, but the fact that he’s not going to the World Cup certainly hasn’t helped his chances of being crowned the best player on the planet at the end of the year.
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