Football legend, Rio Ferdinand has declared that Mo Salah is currently the standout candidate to win the men’s Ballon d’Or later this year.
Salah has scored 30 goals in 39 appearances for Liverpool this season, leading his club to the top of the Premier League table and the last 16 of the Champions League.
‘Right now at this moment in time, I don’t think there’s anyone else on the podium with him,’ Ferdinand said this week on TNT Sports.
Ferdinand was speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, the winner of which will meet Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarter-finals.
However, Ferdinand feels that the 32-year-old Egyptian may well miss out on world football’s top individual award if Liverpool do not win or at least go far in the Champions League.
He added: ‘I think with the way the Champions League works, as you get through the knockout stages and someone starts coming to the fore, they (Ballon d’Or contenders) end up there.
‘It comes down to moments in big games, really. You can throw Salah in there, you can throw [Ousmane] Dembele in there if PSG go far. [Kylian] Mbappe will be there, [as will] Vinicius [Junior] and [Jude] Bellingham.
‘Whoever keeps their status and turns up in the semi-finals and final will win it. If they (Liverpool) win the Champions League, I’m sure he’ll play a big part.’
Source: Linda Ikeji Blog
