England star tipped to beat Mohamed Salah and win Ballon d'Or award

03/23/2025 09:39 AM

Emile Heskey is confident that one England star can pip Mohamed Salah to the Ballon d’Or award despite the Liverpool forward’s remarkable exploits this season.

Other than a disappointing showing in the Carabao Cup final, Salah has been in red-hot form throughout the season for Arne Slot’s side.

The Egyptian has already notched up 27 goals and 17 assists in 29 Premier League games to help the Reds into a commanding position in the Premier League title race.

And such form has already seen the 32-year-old installed as one of the early favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, handed out to the best player in the world at a ceremony in Paris in October.

While individual stats play a huge part in the eventual winner, trophies – either for club or country – are also a determining factor when judges come to cast their vote.

And former Liverpool striker Heskey believes that could work in the favour of current England captain Harry Kane if he is to win the Bundesliga and Champions League this season.

Kane has enjoyed another sparkling season at Bayern Munich, registering 21 goals and seven assists in 24 league games, and unlike Salah could still win the Champions League having helped his side progress to the quarter-finals with a victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

‘I can see Harry Kane winning the Ballon d'Or this year, 100%,’ Heskey told BetVictor. ‘With Kane, you always know you’re going to get goals.

‘It’s great to see that he's likely to win a trophy this year too, at least the Bundesliga, which will only help his Ballon d'Or case and put him in the running.

‘We'll have to wait and see whether that tips things in his favour enough for him to actually win the award, but he'll always be in the running when he's scoring goals at the rate that he does.

‘A Bundesliga and Champions League double would definitely put in him contention for the Ballon d'Or.’

Liverpool boss Slot, meanwhile, conceded that Salah will need to win more silverware if he is to be considered for the top prize next autumn.

‘It’s a good thing Mo is in the discussion as that means he is doing well and that means we are doing well,’ Slot said, speaking last month before his side’s exit from Europe.

‘For him to stay in that discussion he should bring the same performances as he has done for seven or eight months now. In general, someone who wins the Ballon d’Or needs to win something as well.

‘That is a great challenge in front of us and in front of him. If we as a team win something he has a far better chance to win an individual prize like the Ballon d’Or.’

But while Salah and Kane are expected to be in the running for the award, Thierry Henry reckons that Barcelona forward Raphinha should rightfully be considered the early favourite given his form this season.

'Raphinha is ahead, yes, with the Ballon d'Or,' Henry said on CBS Sports. 'Because of what he is doing in the Champions League, he is on 11 goals in the Champions League. Mo Salah is a great contender for it, Kane is a contender and [Ousmane] Dembele it depends.

'Raphinha is on a lot of goals with only one penalty. And I'm not saying Kane shouldn't have penalties. Mo Salah is having a season in the Premier League that we will never see again, but I'm saying if a guy has virtually the same amount of goals as you guys score but without penalties, I'm not going to say that's bad what you did, it's outstanding, but this guy, I have to talk a bit more about him

'What Raphinha is doing on top of defending and pressure. When people talk about being complete, as a striker you need to know how to put pressure on and defend, and help your full-back and press well, it's a lot of things that you need to do and Raphinha has it all.'

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