Former Liverpool teammates were on opposite sides of a Mohamed Salah debate recently, as Jamie Carragher waded into AFCON controversy despite the best efforts of Daniel Sturridge to set him straight. But now a third ex-Red has weighed in, and he is at least partly on Carragher's side.
Sturridge and Carragher were of course in agreement about Salah's brilliance. But in claiming that the Egyptian does not have the opportunity to win a "major" international tournament with his country, and is therefore hindered in the Ballon d'Or stakes, the former defender invited a wave of criticism.
As well as Sturridge and Micah Richards in the studio, Carragher has been countered by Ahmed Elmohamady, Rio Ferdinand, and Richard Keys, to name a few. And while he has effectively doubled down, his comments were surely misjudged.
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There is perhaps a genuine point to be made about the status of AFCON in the eyes of Ballon d'Or voters, many of whom may be guilty of disregarding the tournament. Salah might even agree with Carragher that his nationality has counted against him when going for the top individual honors.
And in that respect, John Aldridge has thrown his weight behind Carragher. He told Betano that the voting process is notoriously selective in what it does and does not take into account.
"Mohamed Salah should definitely be among the favorites for the Ballon d’Or now,” Aldridge said. "My only fear is that, with all due respect to Egypt, that he’s not going to win big finals for his country.
"The voting process definitely takes that into account. So that may work against his chances.
"However, in terms of what Salah has done this season, the likes of Erling Haaland have done well, but Salah has been in a different bracket to them all – including Kylian Mbappe. Another fear is that if Real Madrid go and win the Champions League, they’ll end up giving it to him because that’s how it works!
"I think if Liverpool win the Premier League and do well in the Champions League, Salah has every chance of winning it. You just never know with the voting process though – they consider a lot of things."
Aldridge has not had to clarify what he means by "big finals", so he is protected by a layer of ambiguity. His comments can be read primarily as a critique of the Ballon d'Or process, which can be unscientific at best.
However, if he and Carragher are aligning themselves with the award voters who do not set much store by AFCON, they are making a big mistake. Especially considering that Europe's top five leagues are brimming with African talent, it's hard to see how even a Euro-centric view of football can lead to the conclusion that AFCON is of an objectively lower standard, and therefore somehow worthy of less respect.
Carragher and Salah have already clashed this season over contract remarks. This latest chapter is likely to set them on another collision course, and it's sad to see two club legends at loggerheads.
