An analysis of Salah’s Ballon d’Or ranking for 2023
Lionel Messi of Inter Miami was voted the champion of this year’s Ballon d’Or, with Mohamed Salah, a legend of Liverpool, ranking in eleventh place.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain completed the rankings. Four other City players—Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Julian Alvarez, and Bernardo Silva—were also in the top ten, with the last being the most dubious.
After an incredible season with the Reds, I think it’s fair to argue that Salah has been somewhat treated unfairly in the rankings; however, team awards still appear to have the biggest influence on outcomes.
The journey of Salah in Ballon d’Or
Although the Egyptian’s 11th place finish this year is his lowest, it is his fifth consecutive year in the top thirty.
Despite scoring 45 goals and contributing 60 direct goals in all competitions for the Reds and making it to the UEFA Champions League Final, Salah ended sixth in his first season at Liverpool.
The Egyptian King placed fifth in 2019, with Sadio Mane (fourth) and Virgil Van Dijk (second) from Liverpool both placing in the top five.
The Liverpool forward placed seventh in 2021, the year Chelsea midfielder Jorginho was awarded third place—possibly the most obscure position in the competition’s history—after the 2020 ceremony was postponed.
Salah was only two games away from winning the Quadruple with Liverpool in 2022, but he was only able to secure the fifth spot in the standings.
SALAH’S PERFORMANCE IN 2023
Even if Liverpool’s performance had been lacking in the first few months of the year, Mohamed Salah has been his normal outstanding self throughout 2023.
Across all competitions in 2023, Salah tallied 24 goals and provided 13 assists, totaling 37 goals in 38 games.
In fact, Salah has directly contributed to more goals in 2023 than Premier League runner-up Erling Haaland, winner of the Ballon d’Or.
Salah maintained his attention in the UEFA Champions League despite Liverpool’s lacklustre performance. He scored and provided an assist in the first leg of the Round of 16 matchup between Real Madrid and Anfield.
With 30 goal contributions in his previous 25 Premier League games, the 31-year-old is now in excellent form. His play only got better during the year.
In the 25 Premier League games, that’s 19 goals and 11 assists—record-breaking performance.
With his 43rd European goal for Liverpool—more than any player of any other English team in history—Salah’s stoppage-time goal against Toulouse last week also set a record.
When Salah stays at the club, he will undoubtedly be at the forefront of any future successes, especially with players like Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szobozslai.