“The Egyptian King deserves to be recognized” - Manchester City star says Liverpool's Mo Salah deserves to be in Ballon d’Or conversations
Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush believes Liverpool’s talisman, Mohamed Salah, deserves to be in the running for the 2025 Ballon d’Or award. As the 2024-25 season is winding up, the race for the Ballon d’Or keeps heating up. Several players keep proving why they deserve to win football’s biggest individual accolade.
Salah has taken his numbers to a whole new level this campaign. The 32-year-old leads the way in the goal-scoring (28) and assists charts (18) in the Premier League. He is also in contention for the European Golden Shoe.
Mohamed Salah has been in the conversation for the 2025 Ballon d’Or since last year, and he topped the rankings in January and February. However, after Liverpool exited the UEFA Champions League, the Egyptian has since fallen in the pecking order. Paris Saint-Germain in-form winger Ousmane Dembele leads the race in the latest ranking.
While Salah has only the Premier League title as his trophy to brag about this season, it can’t be denied that he has been impressive this season. He was recently named the 2025 Football Writers' Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year.
Marmoush, who joined Manchester City in the Premier League in January, opined that his fellow countryman deserves to be recognized not just for the output but also for his quality. When asked if Salah should be in the running for the award, Marmoush said:
“Yes, I think, in my opinion, it is. It’s great to see a player from your country of such quality representing it in such a way. What he did was amazing; it was incredible.”
He added:
“The Egyptian King deserves to be recognized. Not just for the goals or assists, but for the quality he possesses and the incredible work he has done this season.”
Across competitions this season, Mohamed Salah has scored 33 goals and provided 23 assists in 50 games for Liverpool.
Fabio Capello snubs Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah; names his top 3 for 2025 Ballon d’Or award
Former Italian manager Fabio Capello recently named his favorites to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or, ignoring Mohamed Salah.
Speaking to El Partidazo de COPE, Capello said he would pick Barcelona’s starlet as his winner, followed by Real Madrid duo Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. He said (via GiveMeSport):
“For the Ballon d’Or, I would vote Lamine Yamal. My votes would be: Vinicius, Mbappe, and first, Lamine Yamal.”
Capello then went on to praise Yamal, comparing him with Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
