Cafu makes shock Ballon d’Or admission on Salah after what he saw at Liverpool
Cafu has rated Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or after his exploits for Liverpool this season.
Salah has been a key for Liverpool on their road to Premier League glory, bagging 27 goals and 18 assists in 33 top flight games so far.
The Egypt international is in touching distance of breaking the record for the most number of assists in a season by an individual in the Premier League, while also being on course to become only the third player to score 30 goals or more in the division.
Cafu drops Ballon d’Or prediction on Salah
Salah is a favourite to win the Ballon d’Or this season, thanks to his exploits for Liverpool
However, the Reds’ exit from the UEFA Champions League in the last 16 has raised doubts about his credentials to take home the award.
| Matches | Minutes | Goals | Assists | |
| Premier League | 33 | 2930′ | 27 | 18 |
| Champions League | 9 | 809′ | 3 | 4 |
| EFL Cup | 5 | 312′ | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 47 | 4051′ | 32 | 23 |
Cafu, though, feels it is only a matter of time before the 32-year-old wins the accolade, having been convinced that he is one of the best players in the world at the moment.
The two-time FIFA World Cup winner described Salah’s performances for Liverpool as ‘brilliant’ and advised him to continue ‘shining’ to silence his critics.
“We can certainly consider Mohamed Salah one of the best and greatest players in the world right now”, Cafu told WinWin (21 April).
“He is shining and performing brilliantly for Liverpool.
“I think it’s only a matter of time until Mohamed Salah or Vinicius Junior wins the Ballon d’Or.
“My advice to them is to keep training, scoring goals, and shining. This is the best way to respond to criticism and prove that they truly deserve the Ballon d’Or.”
Liverpool superstar deserves Ballon d’Or
While winning the Champions League would have cemented Salah’s credentials to win the Ballon d’Or, there is no reason why he should not still be a favourite to earn the accolade.
The attacker was unlucky not to feature on the podium after a record-breaking debut season at Anfield in 2017-18, but that should not be the case this time.
He faces fierce competition from Raphinha, especially if the Brazilian fires Barcelona to glory in La Liga and the Champions League.
However, Salah will be hopeful of boosting his chances by breaking the 30-goal barrier, as well as the assists record, in the Premier League in the remaining five games.