Let’s get one thing clear before we go any further. Mohamed Salah is incredible.
His performance in Liverpool’s win over Manchester City underlined just how good he is. Yes, there was another goal and assist to add to an already remarkable tally, but his all-round performance was simply on another level to those around him.
Gary Neville struggled to find the right words to describe Salah’s performance as he awarded him the Player of the Match award, having been left stunned by the strength and class that he displayed at the Etihad. Anyone who’s watched Liverpool this season will know that was par for the course in what has been an incredible campaign.
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Salah’s feats, having already scored 30 goals and added 21 assists over three months of the season still remaining, have seen him compared with peak Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. And, of course, a conversation around the Ballon d’Or is never far away when you’re talking about those two.
Salah is the current favorite to take the top individual prize in soccer. In fact, you could make a real argument that he should already be a shoo-in for it, given his unbelievable numbers this season.
Such is the way in which the Ballon d’Or is decided upon though, that individual brilliance might not be enough to secure an award designed for individuals. Instead, it’s team trophies that are often seen as the deciding factor.
Salah certainly looks like he’ll be getting a Premier League winner’s medal in the next few months, but he may well need a Champions League one to go with it if he is to be crowned the world’s best player. The truth is, though, he shouldn’t need that - Salah IS the best player in the world right now.
The fact that two fifth-place finishes is as close as he has come in the past to the Ballon d'Or is not a fair reflection of a player who has been in the top tier of stars for years now - even if not everyone recognizes that.
Regardless of whether he goes on to win another European crown with Liverpool this season, his efforts deserve some kind of reward. At this point, you are very much in the minority if you don’t consider Salah to be on another level.
To have people like Troy Deeney claiming that he shouldn’t even be considered world-class is, quite frankly, absurd. The fact that the former Watford man didn’t even see fit to include Salah in his team of the week after that performance against City gives you some insight into why his managerial career lasted a grand total of six games.
If there is any justice in soccer - which you could absolutely argue there isn’t - and if the 32-year-old carries this form until the end of the season, then there should be no doubt about his status, and Jamie Carragher’s theory that only a “major” tournament win might be enough to win the Ballon d'Or should be tossed aside. Mohamed Salah is the best player in the world, and it’s time he was finally recognized as such.
