Pundit believes Liverpool star hasn't won the Ballon d'Or yet because he was part of the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era

Joe Cole has shared his belief that Mohamed Salah's lack of Ballon d'Or awards is due to the Liverpool forward being in the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era. While the Portuguese legend and his Argentine counterpart have enjoyed over a decade at the top, winning a combined 13 Ballon d'Or awards, Salah has not won once.

When speaking about the Egyptian ace, who has been in brilliant form this season and is a strong contender for the award, Cole said on TNT Sports:

"He'll certainly be in the running. You know, I think the Ballon d'Or is always very heavily loaded towards what happens in the Champions League, and what happens in the final in particular."

"He is in the running, and the only reason he’s not got one in his career so far is because he’s been in the Messi and Ronaldo era. Liverpool haven’t reached the latter end of the Champions League in recent years. But I think it’s heavily on what happens in the Champions League."

He continued, sharing his expectation that Mohamed Salah's brilliant run of form would put him in the debate for the award:

"But I think what he’s done in the Premier League, he stands on the shoulders of all the giants. There's been a lot of debate this week, you know, your Henrys, your Cantonas, your Agueros, your Gerrards, all these great players. He’s certainly stood shoulder to shoulder with all of them in the conversation."

Mohamed Salah has been one of the best attackers in the world this season. He has scored 30 goals and provided 22 assists in just 39 appearances so far.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi missed out entirely on the 2025 Ballon d'Or award

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were not nominated for the Golden Ball shortlist in 2025, for the first time since they emerged onto the scene in the late 2000s. Notably, Ronaldo won an award before he left Manchester United to join Real Madrid and face Messi, who was at Barcelona.

It is not a surprise that the legendary duo were not shortlisted. They have both left Europe, with Ronaldo playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr and Messi playing for Inter Miami in the USA.

They have continued to enjoy relative success despite being in the twilight years of their respective careers. Cristiano Ronaldo has led Al-Nassr to win the Arab Club Champions Cup, while Lionel Messi has led Inter Miami to win the Supporters' Shield and the Leagues Cup.