'He's having a Messi and Ronaldo season' - Mohamed Salah tipped for Ballon d'Or after heroics for Liverpool against Man City

Salah scored one and set up Dominik Szoboszlai for the other as Liverpool downed Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, taking him up to 25 goals and 16 assists in 27 Premier League matches this season. In 2025, he has struck eight times and set up four more in the league.

With the Anfield club now 11 points clear at the top of the league, they are expected to go on and claim the title this season and have been impressive in the Champions League, finishing top of the table after the initial round. Salah, however, has been told by ex-Reds star Sturridge that he should be looking further afield to the Ballon d'Or, while club legend Jamie Carragher believes he has been reaching the level of eight-time winner Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who won it on five occasions.

"He's having a Messi and Ronaldo season," Carragher said on Sky Sports.

Sturridge added: "We're talking Ballon d'Or now. If we're not talking Ballon d'Or with Mohamed Salah then it's getting out of hand. We have to start putting him that conversation now and saying, I don't even know if he's had a top five vote or a top three vote yet."

Asked why Salah has not been in the running before, he added: "The history of the award, typically it goes to someone in La Liga."

Salah was not among the top 30 in last year's Ballon d'Or rankings as City star Rodri was given the accolade. The previous year, which went to Messi, he was 16th and in 2022 he reached fifth as Karim Benzema took home the prize. If the Egyptian forward can keep up this form, he will surely be in for an even better finish in 2025.