'Time for football to be fair!' - Last-minute Mohamed Salah Ballon d'Or plea entered as Egypt boss hails Liverpool star as a 'role model for all success seekers'

Despite his heroics for Liverpool, it is unlikely that Salah will be crowned the winner during Monday night's Ballon d'Or ceremony, as Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele is being billed as the favourite to wib the prize. Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Raphinha are also in contention for the award, meaning Salah may not even make the podium.

Despite the odds being stacked against Salah, Egypt national team head coach Hossam Hassan, who has been managing the Liverpool star since February, took to Instagram to make his case for the 33-year-old attacker. "Considering the hardships he encountered along his journey, he deserves it.. Based on the size of the challenges you overcome, he deserves it. Measuring years of brilliance, excellence and creativity in the strongest league in the world, he deserves it," he said. "It is difficult to get to the top, but all the difficulty lies in continuing on the top, and he has reached the top and continued on it for many years thanks to God first, then his talent, hard work and determination until he became a role model for all success seekers.. Is it time for football to be fair and fair with them to choose the winner?"

Hassan added: "Our prayers and the prayers of all Egyptians and all Salah's fans around the world, that Salah should be the winner of the Ballon d'Or to be the best crowning of the career of a great player that may not be repeated again in our history of Egyptian, Arab and African football, but also international."

Marseille's crunch clash with Paris Saint-Germain has been rescheduled for the same night as the Ballon d'Or ceremony after this weekend's Ligue 1 game was initially postponed due to heavy rainfall. It has, therefore, been suggested that Dembele won't be present in person to collect the Ballon d'Or if he wins, but the France international had already been left out of PSG's squad due to injury, and may yet stay in Paris for the event while his team-mates head back to Marseille.

Salah has helped Liverpool pick up six wins from six games in all competitions at the start of the new season, registering six goal involvements along the way. However, Slot has already confirmed the Egyptian will be rested for the Reds' Carabao Cup third round clash with Southampton on Tuesday night.