Football legend Rio Ferdinand has named Mo Salah as the leading contender for the men’s Ballon d’Or this year.
Salah has been in exceptional form, netting 30 goals in 39 appearances for Liverpool this season while guiding the club to the top of the Premier League 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.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain, Rio Ferdinand highlighted Mohamed Salah as the frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or. The winner of the clash will face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarter-finals.
However, Ferdinand noted that the 32-year-old Egyptian might miss out on football’s top individual honor if Liverpool fail to win or make a deep run 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.’
