Goal readers have had their say and popular opinion has it the Egyptian was more deserving to claim football’s ultimate individual prize in 2019
Mohamed Salah would have deserved the Ballon d’Or between 2017 and 2020 rather than Sadio Mane, according to Goal readers.
Since both players joined Premier League outfit Liverpool, from AS Roma and Southampton respectively, they have been a key figure in Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
Their immense contributions propelled the Reds to win the Champions League in 2019. The following year, they helped the Anfield giants end their 30-year wait for a Premier League trophy.
Interestingly, the Senegal and Egypt internationals shared the English top flight’s Golden Boot prize after scoring 22 goals each that season.
Considering their awe-inspiring form during that period, we asked our readers who should have won the Ballon d’Or between them.
In a poll conducted on the Goal Africa Twitter handle, a massive 63.6 percent of total votes believed Salah was a worthy winner of the individual honour – which would have made him become the second African to claim the prize after George Weah.
Who was more deserving of the Ballon d’Or between 2017 and 2020?
— Goal Africa (@GoalAfrica) May 11, 2021
On the other hand, 36.4 percent pitched their tents with the 2019 African Player of the Year winner.
After placing 23rd in the 2017 edition of the awards, Mane moved one step higher to 22nd in the 2018 Ballon d’Or vote.
In 2019, however, he finished fourth on the podium behind Lionel Messi, team-mate Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo. Had the Ballon d’Or for 2020 not been cancelled due to the outbreak of Covid-19, the 29-year-old could have been in contention for the prize.
For Salah, he was nowhere to be found in the 30-man shortlist for 2017 but his notable performance in 2018 saw him ranked sixth, while finishing fifth in 2019.
If their performances this season and that of Liverpool are anything to go by, the African duo does not stand a chance of making the top three this time around.
Salah and Mane are expected to lead Klopp’s attacking line when they travel to Old Trafford for Thursday’s Premier League showdown against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United.
With their league title ambition over, the Reds would be hoping to earn a berth in next season’s Champions League.
As it stands, they occupy the sixth position in the log having garnered 57 points from 34 matches.
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