Robert Pires says Mohamed Salah is ‘the best player in the Premier League’ and his omission from the 2024 Ballon d’Or shortlist proves ‘some people don’t know much about football’.
Salah failed to make the 30-man list of nominees for this year’s prestigious prize, despite scoring 25 goals in 44 games to help Liverpool secure the Carabao Cup and Champions League qualification last season.
Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri would go on to scoop the gong on the back of an exceptional year for both club and country, in which he got his hands on a fourth Premier League crown and the Euro 2024 trophy.
Real Madrid trio Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal finished second, third and fourth respectively, while Rodri’s team-mate Erling Haland came fifth after another remarkable campaign in front of goal with City.
Vinicius Jr’s second-placed finish caused outrage at the Bernabeu, with Madrid’s delegation cancelling their trip to last month’s glitzy Paris ceremony in protest.
But legendary ex-Arsenal and France winger Pires believes the journalists deciding the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or made a glaring mistake snubbing Salah, who had had been nominated for the previous five years.
‘Mohamed Salah is the best player in the Premier League,’ Pires told MBC MASR 2.
‘He has a fantastic mentality, and his level doesn’t surprise me because he’s one of the best players in Europe and the world.
‘In Egypt, you know he’s the best in the national team, but what he does with Liverpool is truly exceptional.
‘He’s maintained his level for many years, playing different roles, scoring goals and providing assists.’
Pires added: ‘Salah was treated unfairly by being left out of the Ballon d’Or list. It’s a loss for the list, not for Salah. This isn’t the players’ fault; it’s the journalists’ mistake.
‘Many great players, like Thierry Henry, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta, never won the award either.
‘Salah’s absence from the Ballon d’Or final shortlist shows that some people don’t know much about football.’
In a recent interview with France Football, Rodri criticised Vinicius Jr’s decision to turn down his invite to the Ballon d’Or ceremony, saying he would not have ‘acted in the same way’.
Quizzed on the Brazilian snubbing the event, Rodri replied: ‘What do you want me to tell you?
‘That I would have preferred everyone to be there? Of course, I would have.
‘The second, third, fourth, etcetera were all missing… I have to respect everyone’s decision. Even if I would not have acted the same way.’
Rodri added: ‘When your value is recognised at a very high level, final winner or not, it’s good to come.
‘Besides, there is also the collective aspect that’s important. For example, Haaland was in a better position than me to win last year. I wanted to come to support him in a special moment.
‘Knowing how to win but also knowing how to lose is important. And then, this year, with my injury and the rehabilitation, this event was like a breath of fresh air.
‘So when I made the decision to come it was above all to enjoy this superb evening.’
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