Liverpool star Mohamed Salah does not generally have the best luck when it comes to individual awards. His trophy cabinet is far from bare (he's tied for a record number of Player of the Month wins, for instance), but his history at the Ballon d'Or makes for grim reading.
After all, awards do not typically cover periods longer than a season, or occasionally a calendar year. So Salah goes unrecognized for the sheer levels of consistency he has shown since more or less the moment he joined Liverpool.
However, Salah may soon be able to add another item of silverware to his cabinet. While he has started the season in a rare rut, giving Arne Slot a potential headache, his latest inclusion on an awards shortlist is beyond any dispute.
The African Player of the Year Award has announced a 10-player shortlist. The award reflects achievements in the 2024/25 season, when Salah claimed a hatful of individual records en route to winning Liverpool its 20th title.
As a reminder, Salah scored 29 times and provided 18 assists across the course of the Premier League season. That broke the record for the most goal contributions in a 38-game campaign.
As the highest-ranked African player in this year's Ballon d'Or standings, Salah will feel he is the favorite. But unfortunately, he is not a complete shoo-in, with one of the fellow nominees having finished just two places behind him.
Achraf Hakimi, who came sixth in Ballon d'Or voting, has the advantage of a Champions League trophy to his name. Of course, PSG only advanced at the expense of Liverpool on penalties, but those fine margins can make all the difference when it comes to the narrative in the minds of voters.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain challenge during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on March 11, 2025 in Liverpool, England.
Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi are both in the running for African Player of the Year. (Image: Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Assuming the award follows the structure of previous years, those voters will come from a hand-selected panel. It will feature journalists, head coaches, and captains from clubs and national sides, as well as members of the CAF Technical Committee.
Regardless of the composition of the panel, you'd imagine it will be a straight fight between Salah and Hakimi, given their respective seasons for Liverpool and PSG. But there are some other notable names on the list as well.
Adding some local flavor, Salah is up against Everton star Iliman Ndiaye. The remaining Premier League representation comes from Pape Matar Sarr at Spurs, who of course claimed the Europa League title last season.
The list of nominees also includes Victor Osimhen and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. MLS star Denis Bouanga makes the cut, too.
Last year's winner Ademola Lookman could not make the shortlist on this occasion. Notable past winners include Sadio Mane, Yaya Toure, and Didier Drogba.
Salah has also previously won the award, claiming it back-to-back in 2017 and 2018. But shockingly, he has not won since then, although last year was the first time since coming to Anfield that he missed out on the top three.
Claiming the title of African Player of the Year for a third time feels long overdue. With the award set to be given out at an undetermined future date, Salah will rarely have a better case for the accolade.