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Former England manager Sam Allardyce snubbed Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah and picked Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or title. The 70-year-old asserted that the Egyptian has 'no chance' due to Real's boycott of the ceremony last year.
Vinicius Jr was in the running for the Ballon d'Or last year after his 25 goals and 11 assists in 40 appearances helped Real Madrid win the UCL and LaLiga. However, he lost out to Spanish midfielder Rodri, who bagged nine goals and 14 assists in 56 appearances for club and country. He also lifted the EPL and EURO 2024 titles with Manchester City and Spain, respectively, while Vinicius' Brazil crashed out in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa America.
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Despite the snub, the 24-year-old has continued his impressive form into the 2024-25 campaign, with 17 goals and 10 assists in 34 games thus far. However, Salah has delivered otherworldly performances this season, with a whopping 30 goals and 22 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool.
While both players are firmly in the race for the Ballon d'Or, Allardyce has claimed that the Egyptian winger stands no chance due to the circumstances. After reports of Vinicius' snub circulated last year, Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony.
Sam Allardyce believes the award's hosts, the France Football magazine, will not want a repeat of the situation, claiming (via GOAL):
"There's no chance (for Salah to win). It'll be Vinicius Jr because of what Real Madrid did last year (boycott). They (France Football) will be absolutely sh*tting themselves because they won't turn up again if one of them doesn't win it, so one of them will win it. You might as well have a bet on it now."
If Liverpool and Real Madrid manage to make the UCL semifinals, Salah and Vinicius could potentially face off against each other in a mouth-watering clash of the titans.
"Let's win" - Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah makes thoughts clear about 2025 Ballon d'Or
Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has claimed that he is focused on team success rather than on the 2025 Ballon d'Or title. The 32-year-old said that his primary objective is to help his side win the Premier League and Champions League this season.
On the back of Salah's sublime displays, the Reds currently sit 13 points clear of Arsenal atop the Premier League standings. They are also set to play the EFL Cup final against Newcastle United and are in the UCL Round of 16, where they will take on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
When asked about his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or this season, the Egyptian legend shifted the attention towards winning titles for his team. He also took a sly dig at the organizers of the award, claiming that there are 'other' factors at play while choosing the winner.
He said (via Eurosport):
"Let’s win the Premier League and the Champions League! Because the Ballon d’Or, everybody knows sometimes (other) stuff involved there."
Up next, Salah will be in action in the first leg of Liverpool's UCL Round of 16 tie against PSG at the Parc des Princes on March 5.
