Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian King, the player who has carried Liverpool on his shoulders for so many seasons, has once again found himself at the centre of one of football’s greatest debates. The Ballon d’Or, the golden trophy that every footballer dreams of lifting, has slipped away from him once again, and this time it was not because he lacked goals, it was not because he lacked assists, and it was not because he lacked trophies. Instead, people are now saying that it was a so-called “flaw” in his game that cost him. A flaw that is not really a flaw at all, but something that the football world has used to deny Salah what many feel should already have been his crown.
On Monday evening, the Ballon d’Or ceremony lit up Paris as the best players in the world gathered, dressed in the finest suits, waiting for their names to be called. The football world watched, fans around the globe argued on social media, and journalists whispered about who they thought would take the crown. When the final list came out, Salah had finished in **fourth place**. Fourth. Behind Ousmane Dembélé, behind Lamine Yamal, and behind Vitinha. For many Liverpool fans, this was an insult. How could a player who was the top scorer and top creator in the Premier League, a player who helped his team win the league title at a canter, a player who broke records for goal contributions in a single season, not even be considered among the true frontrunners?
The Ballon d’Or has changed. What was once seen as a small bonus, a nice extra recognition after a great season, has now turned into a global obsession. The Ballon d’Or is now treated almost like winning the Champions League itself. And with that obsession comes controversy, bitterness, and never-ending arguments. Perhaps the most confusing thing about the award is the way it is voted for. Every journalist has their own personal list. Some might think Salah was the best player in the world and rank him number one. Others might not even include him in their top five. The votes then get tallied up in a way that produces strange results. This is why Virgil van Dijk, another Liverpool star, somehow finished 28th, when everyone knows he was far better than that.
But the real sting this year was how Salah was ignored in the actual conversation for the winner. The debate was all about whether Lamine Yamal would beat Ousmane Dembélé. Salah’s name was hardly mentioned, despite his numbers being almost unmatched. And that is what has left fans furious. Because to them, Salah was not just good — he was extraordinary.
To understand the pain, you have to look at Salah’s season. Before December, he was unstoppable. Fourteen goals and ten assists. Liverpool were top of the Premier League, flying high in the Champions League league phase, and Salah was being hailed by pundits and journalists as the best player in the world at that moment. His pace, his finishing, his dribbling, his vision — everything was working perfectly. He was the heartbeat of Arne Slot’s new-look Liverpool. This was not just about stats; it was about the way he dominated games, the way defenders feared him, the way Anfield rose to its feet every time he touched the ball.
By comparison, Ousmane Dembélé had just five goals and five assists at that point. Lamine Yamal had seven and nine. Salah’s numbers dwarfed theirs. He was far ahead in every category. And yet, as the season moved into the second half, the narrative shifted. Dembélé had his moments on the big stage. A goal at Anfield that hurt Liverpool, assists against Aston Villa, a winner at Arsenal, and crucial contributions in the Champions League final. Suddenly the spotlight was on him. Yamal too, with his young age and dazzling performances, became a media darling. And Salah? His numbers stayed strong, but the world’s attention drifted elsewhere.
This is where the so-called flaw comes in. Salah has a habit of starting seasons stronger than he finishes them. His first-half of the campaign is always blistering, while the second-half, though still excellent, is never quite at the same insane level. And when it comes to awards like the Ballon d’Or, recency bias plays a massive role. People remember what they saw last, and they vote based on the late-season and end-of-season highlights. Salah’s early-season fireworks faded in the memories of voters, even though those goals and assists are what gave Liverpool their dominant lead in the first place.
In truth, Salah’s so-called flaw is actually the reason Liverpool won the Premier League. Without his explosive start, without those goals and assists before February, Liverpool would not have opened such a huge gap over Arsenal. The title race would have been alive much longer, and maybe the Reds would not have been able to focus on controlling the league as they did. His dominance in the first half gave the team the confidence, the belief, and the breathing space they needed. But that doesn’t matter to Ballon d’Or voters. They are swayed by the late-season drama, the finals, the big May nights n Europe.
And so Salah, despite arguably being the most important player in world football last season, finished fourth. It is a story Liverpool fans know too well. In 2018, when Salah scored 44 goals in all competitions, he still didn’t win. In 2022, when he carried Liverpool to a quadruple chase, he finished behind Karim Benzema. And now again in 2025, he has been denied. The Egyptian King seems cursed when it comes to this trophy, as if the football world refuses to give him the crown he deserves.
Liverpool fans are outraged because they see the disrespect. To them, Salah is not just another great player. He is their hero, their talisman, the man who transformed Liverpool back into a global powerhouse. His goals brought the Champions League back to Anfield. His consistency brought Premier League titles. His mentality made him one of the greatest in Premier League history. Yet when the world discusses the Ballon d’Or, his name is mentioned as an afterthought.
For Salah himself, there is no doubt this will hurt. He has never been one to openly chase personal awards, always saying the team comes first. But every player dreams of the Ballon d’Or. Every player wants to be recognised as the very best. And to come so close, only to see it slip away again and again, must leave a deep frustration.
The debate will rage on for weeks. Was Dembélé a deserving winner? Many say yes — his performances in the Champions League knockout stages were spectacular. Was Yamal really better than Salah? Many say no — the teenager was outstanding but not more decisive than the Egyptian King. And Vitinha? A fine player, but his inclusion ahead of Salah in the top three has raised more eyebrows than anything else.
In the end, the Ballon d’Or has shown once more that it is not always about who was the best across an entire season. It is about moments, narratives, media attention, and timing. Salah’s flaw, if you want to call it that, is that he shines too bright too early, and when the lights are still shining in June, others get remembered more.
But for Liverpool fans, Salah doesn’t need the Ballon d’Or to prove his greatness. They already know. They sing his name at Anfield every week. They know that without him, the club’s recent history would look very different. And maybe, just maybe, the true reward for Salah is not a golden ball in Paris but the love of millions who see him as their King.
Still, the frustration remains. Because if anyone deserves to have his name written alongside Messi, Ronaldo, Benzema, and Modric as Ballon d’Or winners, it is Mohamed Salah. And until that day comes, every time he is denied, the world of football will feel a little emptier, and Liverpool fans will continue to scream that their King has been robbed.
