Ballon d'Or 2018: Ranking the top 5 contenders based on their performances during the year

# 4. Mohamed Salah

The Egyptian was a big revelation during the last campaign

A switch from Roma to Liverpool during the summer of 2017 was all Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah needed in order to raise his game to a supernatural height.

The winger left the Seria A to link up with Jurgen Klopp at Anfield last summer and that move acted as a gamechanger in his career - with the 26-year-old quickly establishing himself as one of the finest attackers in Europe during the previous term.

Salah was unstoppable in Liverpool's European campaign last season, bagging an amazing 10 goals and 5 assists in 13 appearances to lead The Reds into the final of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade while also outclassing every attacker in the English Premier League with his 32 goals and 11 assists in 36 appearances.

The Egyptian maestro was breaking records upon records in the English top flight last season, including Alan Shearer's record for most Premier League goals in a single 38-game campaign and he, finished the term with a whopping 43 goals and 16 assists across all competitions while also helping his nation to qualify for the prestigious FIFA World Cup tournament for the first time after missing out for over 28 years.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram