Legendary French manager Arsène Wenger has not ruled out the possibility of Mohamed Salah winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or, recognizing the Egyptian star’s amazing impact for Liverpool this season.
Liverpool website reported Wenger's statements on BeIN Sports, and they came as follows:
If Salah could become the first Ballon d'Or winner from Africa since George Weah in 1995, Wenger responded: "You wouldn't rule him out. You have [Kylian] Mbappe, certainly, to fight with him, Vinicius [Junior] will fight with him."
"Tonight we see again what we have seen so many times in the modern game: 67% possession for Man City, 2-0 for Liverpool. This is down to people who are a level above, like Salah. He scored the goal and made an assist."
Wenger sees Salah as an exceptional: "I read somewhere that he contributed with goals and assists to 31 points for Liverpool this season. You cannot rule him out for any special award – this guy is exceptional."
Salah’s Sensational Form
Salah has been in sensational form, leading both the Premier League Golden Boot race and the European Golden Shoe standings with 25 goals so far.
Additionally, he is the top assist provider across Europe's top five leagues this season, having set up 16 goals for his teammates.
One of his most remarkable achievements is that he has both scored and assisted in 11 different games this season, setting a new all-time Premier League record.
Wenger sees continuous improvement in Salah over the years:
"What I love the most in his career: he became better and better every year, more clinical. He does less quantity today, but he doesn't lose quality, and that shows that he is not only a great talent but also a very intelligent player."
He mentioned a balance about Salah saying:
"He has found a good balance between obsession to score goals and giving the ball. We had a period between him and [Sadio] Mané, there were tensions because everybody tried to score without passing the ball. He understands that to be really great, he has to contribute, and he has done that really well."
With such impressive numbers and continuous evolution, Salah has once again proven himself as one of the best footballers in the world.
Whether he will become the first African Ballon d'Or winner since George Weah in 1995 remains possible, but Wenger believes he is undoubtedly in the conversation.
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