"There are many countries who don't know how to vote" - Liverpool's Mohamed Salah admits he was 'shocked' by his Ballon d'Or result

Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah has confessed that he was taken aback by his positioning in the 2021 Ballon d'Or rankings. The star forward, who finished seventh last year, believes many countries do not yet know how to vote, which may have been reflected in the rankings.

Since his switch from AS Roma in 2017, the Egyptian international has consistently churned out impressive performances for the Merseyside outfit. Salah has already registered 152 goals and 57 assists in 235 appearances across all competitions, a staggering return considering the difficulty of the competitions he plays in.

Not only did the 29-year-old net 31 goals and six assists last season, but he also enjoyed a blistering start to the 2021-22 campaign. Yet, much to the shock of millions of fans and the player himself, he finished seventh in the rankings.

Looking back on the 2021 Ballon d'Or, the Egyptian has voiced his disappointment, claiming that there may have been “inaccurate choices”.

Speaking to Egyptian TV channel DMC (via Liverpool Echo), he said:

“The results of the Ballon d'Or were shocking to me. I don't have much to say about it, but there was nobody who expected me to finish seventh last year, but that is what happened.”

Although disappointed, Salah refrained from calling his snub a conspiracy and thought that uneven voting may have impacted the results.

He added:

“I don't think there's a conspiracy theory or anything, but there may be inaccurate choices and there are many countries who don't know how to vote. I have nothing to prove that there is something wrong. I really don't know, but I was shocked at the result.”

The 29-year-old right-winger has been Premier League’s leading scorer this season, netting 19 times in 24 appearances. He also has 10 assists to his name, making him the joint-leading assist provider in the division.

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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah could win his first Ballon d'Or in 2022

The Liverpool no.11 has always been vocal about his desire to win the coveted Golden Ball. We believe the superstar has a strong chance to actualize his dream this season. The winger has 27 goals and 10 assists in 32 games this season, making him arguably the most complete forward around.

If he can keep it up and propel Liverpool to either the Premier League or the Champions League, he’ll have a firm foothold in the Ballon d'Or race. The Merseyside giants are currently second in the league and have a 2-0 lead over Inter Milan in their Round of 16 UCL tie. They've already won the Carabao Cup and have also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Unless Golden Boot frontrunner Robert Lewandowski fires Bayern Munich to the Champions League title, Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe are among the favorites for this year’s grand prize.