Mohamed Salah needs more years at this level to win the Ballon d'Or, says Egypt team-mate Ahmed Elmohamady

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  • Ahmed Elmohamady believes his Egypt national squad team-mate Mohamed Salah must sustain his record-breaking level from this season for several years to come before he can win the Ballon d’Or.

    Salah has taken the football world by storm this season with Liverpool, who face Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday.

    ‘The Egyptian King’ scooped a slew of awards this campaign, and broke the record for most Premier League goals scored in a 38-game season, netting 32 for the Reds.

    Salah’s exploits in his first year with Liverpool have made him one of the most talked about athletes on the planet and many believe he is in contention for a Ballon d’Or alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Aston Villa defender Elmohamady, who comes from the same town as Salah and has known him for many years, is proud of his countrymen’s achievements this season, but feels he is not yet on par with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

  • Watch: Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah should win Ballon d’Or award, says John Arne Riise

  • Asked if Salah should be part of the Ballon d’Or conversation this year, Elmohamady told Sport360: “I would love to see that, but I also feel that people are in a hurry a bit when it comes to Salah and the Ballon d’Or.

    “I think for Salah to reach the Ballon d’Or, and be on par with Ronaldo and Messi, he has to be at the level he is at right now for five or six more years, to show consistency so he could reach the level of the Ballon d’Or that currently includes Ronaldo and Messi.

    “But I would love to see Salah part of this conversation, and it would make me very proud. He’s a great player and a great person. But from my point of view, and anyone who knows football well, will say the same thing. He needs to sustain this level for five or six more years to win the Ballon d’Or.

    “I hope he keeps his level and hopefully that prize will be his one day.”

    Messi and Ronaldo have had a duopoly of the Ballon d’Or over the past decade, winning five apiece but it looks like Salah might be able disrupt that order thanks to a historic 2017-2018 campaign.

    The 25-year-old Egyptian has scored a total of 44 goals across all competitions this season and still has a chance to shine for Liverpool in the Champions League final, as well as for Egypt at the FIFA World Cup next month.

    Following an indifferent stint with Chelsea in 2014, Salah joined Fiorentina on loan before moving to Roma. Elmohamady was certain Salah was going to excel upon his return to the Premier League and he insists that his stunning form with Liverpool has not come as a surprise.

    “I’m not that surprised. When Salah was with Chelsea, people criticised him for leaving, but I said that he never got his chance to play games the way he is now with Liverpool or how he was with Fiorentina and Roma,” explained Elmohamady.

    “He took a step that people thought would negatively impact him but it was a very important move for him, going on loan to Fiorentina and then moving to Roma. It was a very important move for him so he could play matches. And he did great with both those teams.

    “And then he returned to the Premier League and the whole world could see how much he has improved, be it mentally or physically. His character on the pitch has transformed completely, even physically he changed.

    “So all these factors helped him win this challenge against himself, returning to the Premier League and proving the whole world wrong. What he has done this year is huge and he deserves it.

    “And I hope his level stays this way through the World Cup so he can help us there because he is crucial for us, along with the other players on the team.”

    Egypt landed in Group A in the World Cup alongside Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and hosts Russia.

    It was Salah’s injury-time winner from the spot that sent Egypt to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.

    * Stay tuned for our full interview with Ahmed Elmohamady ahead of Egypt’s long-awaited return to the FIFA World Cup *

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