Mohamed Salah told he 'deserves' Ballon d'Or despite Jamie Carragher prediction
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Egypt's national team manager has launched a fervent campaign supporting Mohamed Salah's Ballon d'Or aspirations as the Liverpool sensation prepares to discover his destiny on Monday evening.
Hossam Hassan, who has overseen the Pharaohs skipper since February last year, believes "it is time for football to be fair" and officially crown Salah as the planet's finest player.
Salah netted 34 times for Liverpool during the previous campaign as they clinched the Premier League title by a 10-point margin, whilst also suffering defeat in the Carabao Cup final and departing the Champions League at the round-of-16 phase to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG's Ousmane Dembele currently leads the bookmakers' odds to receive the coveted accolade at Theatre du Chatelet, yet Hassan has thrown his weight behind the Reds icon, who has never finished within the top three throughout his illustrious career.
Taking to Instagram, Hassan wrote: "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.
"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?
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool
"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."
Salah scored in the midweek win over Atletico Madrid and turned provider in the Merseyside derby with a fine assist for Ryan Gravenberch's opening goal.
Yet Jamie Caragher isn't convinced he will scoop the Ballon d'Or
He said: "I think, for me, they’re the top six players [Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, Kylian Mbappe, Raphinha, Mohamed Salah, and Lamine Yamal] who I think I watched for the majority of last season, probably in this competition, also for their club form as well.
“I think it will be Dembele on the back of the sort of season that Paris Saint-Germain had as well, but all of those players have got a decent shout [of winning the Ballon d’Or].”