Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is eleventh in the Ballon d'Or 2023 ranking from France Football magazine.
The position may be a bit frustrating for the Egyptian international, especially since individually he has done well to be in a position like the last two editions.
But what is the secret behind Salah's relatively late position at the Ballon d'Or?
Liverpool's miserable season
Liverpool had their worst season ever under manager Jurgen Klopp, failing to win any trophy, and even failing to qualify for the Champions League by finishing fifth in the Premier League.
In terms of the Champions League, the Reds were knocked out of the competition in the round of 16 by Real Madrid, the Carabao Cup was knocked out in the fourth round against Brighton, and the FA Cup was also knocked out in the fourth round but by Manchester City.
Absence from the World Cup
There is no doubt that Mohamed Salah's absence from the World Cup was a factor in the decline in his position in the Ballon d'Or.
Even if Salah has done well for Liverpool, his absence from World Cup makes sense not to be in the elite, given that the World Cup was the key factor in choosing the winner himself, Lionel Messi, despite his mediocre season at club level.
Salah numbers with Liverpool in 2022-2023
Although it seems to have been a bad season for Salah at Liverpool, the reality is that individually it has been just as strong as in previous years.
The "Egyptian King" scored 30 goals for the Reds in all competitions, 19 goals in the Premier League, 8 goals in the Champions League and a goal each in the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup and the Charity Shield.
Salah was Liverpool's top scorer, but he has never won any other individual title, either winning the Premier League or the Champions League.
Mohamed Salah's ranking in the Golden Ball throughout history
Mohamed Salah's ranking in the 2023 Ballon d'Or is his worst rank in the history of his ever presence in this award.
In 2022, Salah finished fifth, and at that time the player expressed his displeasure with this and it came to ridicule it, especially since he reached the final of the Champions League and lost the Premier League in the last round, winning the Carabao and FA Cups.
In 2021, Salah received 121 votes that put him in seventh place, in the 2019 edition he was fifth, and in 2018 he was sixth.
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