Mohamed Salah has explained the reasons behind his Vinicius Junior The Best vote, with the Liverpool star still hoping to land the Ballon d'Or.
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Egypt captain formed part of FIFA voting processVinicius won The Best award but lost Ballon d'OrReds forward is an early frontrunner in 2025Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
As captain of the Egypt national team, Salah formed part of the poll that resulted in Vinicius walking away with The Best FIFA Men's Player award. However, journalists voted Manchester City midfielder Rodri as the Ballon d'Or winner a few months earlier. His Premier League title-winning exploits, alongside a Euro 2024 triumph with Spain, saw him come away with a prestigious prize.
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Many have questioned why Brazilian forward Vinicius was nudged into second place, with the South American helping Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League titles. Salah was among those to offer his support to a ‘Galactico’ at Santiago Bernabeu.
WHAT SALAH SAID
Quizzed on that vote by , Salah – who remains a talismanic presence for Premier League leaders Liverpool – said: "Vinicius Jr is a very good player, that’s why! He’s improving every year and hopefully he can continue… I voted for him because he deserves it."
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Salah has finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or vote on two occasions, but is considered to be an early frontrunner for the 2025 award after hitting the 20-goal mark at Anfield for an eighth successive season. He added on winning a Golden Ball at some stage: "Best in the world? It’s tricky! People have different preferences. I always see myself as the best and I want to give my best for the team."