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Alan Shearer has been left dumbfounded by the Ballon d’Or standings. The Englishman has claimed that 'best-in-the-world' Mohamed Salah should’ve finished ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi won his seventh Ballon d’Or in Paris last month while Cristiano Ronaldo finished sixth. The Liverpool forward, who has been in great form over the last couple of seasons, came in seventh.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both had impressive campaigns last term but were nowhere near their freakish best. Cristiano Ronaldo, in particular, failed to win any major accolades with Juventus, which cost him his podium finish.
Lionel Messi also did not enjoy a fruitful campaign with Barcelona last term. However, the Argentine stepped up to the plate for his country and guided them to the Copa America title. His first international trophy was wildly celebrated around the world and helped him clinch his seventh Ballon d’Or.
Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer believes Mohamed Salah is currently leaps and bounds ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. As per Shearer, Salah works his magic in the best league in the world against the toughest teams, which should have helped his case.
In his column with Athletic (via LiverpoolEcho), Shearer said:
“Mohamed Salah is the best in the world right now. The best goal scorer and the best player, full stop. The little magician is doing his stuff in the best league in the world and he’s doing it against the best teams. Week-in week-out, year-in year-out, Salah performs magic. How he came seventh in the latest Ballon d’Or voting is anybody’s guess.”
Many protesters have slammed French Football for not giving the award to Robert Lewandowski. Shearer, however, has picked Salah even ahead of the Bayern Munich sharpshooter.
Shearer added:
“There’s an obsession with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which is understandable given how dominant they’ve been over the modern era. If you gave me a choice of any player for my team it would be Salah.”
Salah is currently the leading scorer in the Premier League with 13 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, has six Premier League strikes to his name.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could face off in the Champions League last-16
Last season, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi went up against one another in the UEFA Champions League group stage. This season, the two superstars could meet in the first knockout round, representing their new clubs.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United topped Group F but Lionel Messi’s PSG failed to snatch Group A's top spot from Manchester City. If the stars align, we could see Cristiano Ronaldo take on his arch-rival Lionel Messi under the European floodlights in February itself.
