Gary Lineker reels off six Mo Salah stats which show why Ballon d’Or claims are justified

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·24 février 2025

Gary Lineker reels off six Mo Salah stats which show why Ballon d’Or claims are justified

If there are still some people who need convincing that Mo Salah is a generational footballer, six statistics read out by Gary Lineker on a recent podcast should surely win over any remaining doubters.

The Egyptian scored Liverpool’s first goal in their 2-0 triumph away to Manchester City on Sunday and set up the other for Dominik Szoboszlai, with the 32-year-old’s Premier League tally for this season now standing at 25 goals and 16 assists.

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That output grows to 30 and 21 respectively when all competitions are included, a staggering return which’ll inevitably be far higher by the end of May, barring (heaven forbid) any lengthy injuries.

Lineker reels off six staggering Salah stats

On the latest episode of The Rest Is Football, Lineker read out six statistics about the phenomenal season that Salah is having:

First player in Premier League history to register 40+ goal involvements in two different seasons
First player in Europe’s top five leagues to be directly involved in 50 goals across all competitions in 2024/25
Has now scored and assisted in 11 Premier League games this season, the most by a single player in any of Europe’s five main leagues since Lionel Messi for Barcelona in 2014/15 (also 11)
More assists this term than any Liverpool player in a single Premier League campaign
First player in Premier League history to score and assist in both matches against the reigning champions in the same campaign
Six G/A away from most goal contributions in a single Premier League season – the record of 47 is jointly held by Andy Cole (1993/94) and Alan Shearer (1994/95), both of which were 42-match campaigns rather than the current 38

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Surely this is Salah’s year for the Ballon d’Or?

After yet another pendulum-swinging performance by Salah on Sunday (in which he made a mockery of January signing Nico Gonzalez), Daniel Sturridge on Sky Sports mentioned that the Liverpool winger must be in the frame to win the Ballon d’Or this year, given his current displays.

With no major international competitions taking place in 2025, this could indeed be the Egyptian’s best-ever chance at scooping the most coveted individual honour in world football, particularly if the Reds go on to win both the Premier League and Champions League.

It makes the ongoing uncertainty over his contractual situation all the more head-wrecking, although reports from Spain over the past 24 hours have indicated that he could finally be closing in on agreeing a new deal at Anfield.

If one player on the planet right now could justify FSG relaxing their usual rigidity when it comes to Liverpool’s wage structure and contract policies, it’s Salah. You simply don’t let someone as special as him walk away for nothing in the summer.

However much longer he stays with the Reds – whether it’s for only the next four months or at least another season or two – we should cherish and appreciate every moment that we have with a true LFC legend gracing us with his presence in L4.