Manchester United midfielder Casemiro believes Liverpool’s Mo Salah should win the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

The Egyptian international is on the 30-man shortlist for this year’s award, although he isn’t among the favourites, but speaking to British GQ, Casemiro said that Salah would be a more than deserving recipient:

“It’s very difficult, but in my opinion, for me, Salah. He is the best player with his impact on the game. He scores so much and assists so much.”

“I think Liverpool don’t win this trophy, for example, the Champions League or another trophy, because he dropped off a little in the second part of the season. But, for me, the most balanced player of the season is Salah.”

Who are the current front-runners for the Ballon d’Or?

The bookmakers have made PSG forward Ousmane Dembele the strong favourite to win, with odds between 1/7 and 1/4.

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is second among the runners and riders, being priced around 3/1 and 5/1. Dembele’s teammate Vitinha is third with odds of 12/1 to 20/1.

Salah is a pretty distant fourth with certain betting firms placing him as long as 25/1 to go home with the prize.

Salah’s chances hinged on Liverpool winning the Champions League

As Casemiro points out, while individual performances are important, the Ballon d’Or is usually handed to a player who has contributed to winning a high-profile club competition.

If we compare Salah’s numbers (34 goals and 23 assists) last season to Dembele’s (35 goals and 16 assists), the Egyptian actually comes out on top in terms of goal contributions.

However, while Salah did win the Premier League, Dembele won the Ligue One title, the French Cup and (most importantly), the Champions League. The 28-year-old’s involvement in winning PSG’s first European Cup will seemingly be the decisive factor in the voting.

Read more about the Liverpool First Team Squad for 2025/26 here