5 players that could hinder Cristiano Ronaldo from winning the Ballon d'Or this year

#3. Mohamed Salah

Liverpool FC v West Ham United - Premier League — Salah will put up a great fight for the award this year

A highly talented player with immense technical skills, incredible pace, and amazing goalscoring ability, Liverpool winger, Mohamed Salah remains one of the few superstars that will put up a great fight for the Ballon d'Or award this year.

The Egyptian International has already secured his status as one of the top performers in Europe with his scintillating performances during the previous campaign - bagging a whopping 43 goals and 16 assists across all competitions and helping The Reds to make it to the final of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over 10 years.

Following a limited World Cup outing amidst injury issues, the attacker has come back to his obvious best this season, scoring twice and assisting another one to give Liverpool a perfect start to the new campaign. With his incredible performances and amazing consistency, the attacker remains a big threat to Cristiano Ronaldo's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or this year.

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 Sripad