Thierry Henry has picked his frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d’Or and believes Liverpool star Mohamed Salah will miss out on the famous accolade.
The Liverpool talisman is into the last few months of his contract but that has not stopped him chalking up one of the best seasons of his career at the age of 32.
Salah has a remarkable 54 goal contributions in all competitions this term, as the Reds march towards only their second Premier League title. But Arne Slot’s men will not vie for the Champions League in 2024/25 after Paris Saint-Germain knocked them out in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
And Arsenal legend Henry believes that Barcelona ace Raphinha – who has 46 goal contributions to date – may pip him to the prize, partly because his team are still in Europe’s most famous competition.
He said on CBS Sports: “Raphinha is ahead for me now [in the race for the Ballon d’Or], he is ahead because of what he is doing in the Champions League. He has 11 goals in the Champions League.
“Mo Salah is a great contender for it, Kane is a contender and [Ousmane] Dembele. It depends if you perform in the Champions League, on top of winning your league. Raphinha is on a lot of goals and with only one penalty.”
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‘I have to talk a bit more about him’
France icon Henry also gave the edge to former Leeds United winger Raphinha because his goal tally does not rely heavily on penalty kicks.
For instance, Salah has scored 11 times from the spot this season and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who has 43 goal contributions this term, has 13 penalties to his name.
Raphinha, on the other hand, has scored one spot-kick all season, with Barcelona team-mate Robert Lewandowski their designated penalty taker. And to Henry, that matters a great deal in the Ballon d’Or debate.
He added: “I am not saying that Kane and Salah should not be having penalties, Mo Salah is having a season in the Premier League that we will never see again.
“I am saying that if a guy has virtually the same amount of goals as you guys scored, without penalties, I am not going to say that is bad what you did – it is outstanding – but this guy I have to talk a bit more about him.
“Raphinha, when people talk about being complete as a striker you need to know about putting on pressure also and defend, and help your full back. And he has it all.”
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, and more, are likely to be in the running for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Liverpool transfer roundup: Huijsen update, Raphinha to replace Salah?
TEAMtalk can reveal that Liverpool are stepping up their interest in Bournemouth starDean Huijsen, with the defender satisfying three key criteria for Arne Slot’s side.
The 19-year-old has a £50 million (€59m, $54.5m) release clause and is the right profile for the Reds in terms of age, ability, and availability.
Liverpool are reported to have put Raphinha right at the top of their summer transfer wishlist amid growing fears Salah has ‘already agreed’ a move elsewhere.
The 28-year-old is also having a remarkable season and the Merseyside outfit may be eyeing him up if Salah leaves for pastures new this summer.
Finally, Slot’s team are said to be on the trail of Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck as a long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk.
Salah vs Raphinha in 2024/25
Salah v Raphinha this season: Appearances 42 v 41, Goals 32 v 27, Assists 22 v 19, Mins per G/A 66.8 v 72.9, Shot accuracy 63.2% v 56.7%, Take-on success 49.0% v 53.3%, Chances created per 90 2.4 v 3.1
How Salah and Raphinha – two of Europe’s most in-form players – have compared this season