Thierry Henry has picked his favorite to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or, and the Arsenal legend has surprisingly snubbed Mohamed Salah for the award.
Salah has managed 32 targets and 22 assists in simply 42 video games in all competitions this time period, along with his output placing Liverpool heading in the right direction for a possible Premier League and League Cup double.
For Henry, although, who completed second within the 2003 Ballon d’Or and third in 2006, Liverpool’s exit to PSG within the Champions League final 16 can have a detrimental influence on Salah’s possibilities of choosing up the Golden Ball for his exploits this time period. Although the Frenchman refuses to rule out the Egyptian from profitable the award, Henry now believes {that a} Barcelona star is main the working.
Thierry Henry overlooks Mohamed Salah when choosing Ballon d’Or favorite
Salah has been on fireplace for Liverpool this season (Picture credit score: Alamy)
“Raphinha is forward for me now [in the race for the Ballon d’Or], he’s forward due to what he’s doing within the Champions League,” Henry stated on CBS Sports activities
“It relies upon should you carry out within the Champions League, on high of profitable your league. Raphinha is on a whole lot of targets and with just one penalty.”
Barcelona ahead Raphinha is tipped by Henry to win the Ballon d’Or (Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
Certainly, Raphinha has carried out excellently for Barcelona this season, bagging an equaly spectacular 27 targets and 19 assists in 41 video games for the Blaugrana. They nonetheless have an opportunity of profitable the treble, too, as they lead La Liga, are within the semis of the Copa del Rey and can face both Borussia Dortmund or Lille within the Champions League quarter-finals.
It is Raphinha’s output that has most impressed Henry, along with his lack of penalties placing him in pole place for the Ballon d’Or.
“I’m not saying that Kane and Salah shouldn’t be having penalties, Mo Salah is having a season within the Premier League that we’ll by no means see once more,” Henry stated.
“I’m saying that if a man has nearly the identical quantity of targets as you guys scored, with out penalties, I’m not going to say that’s unhealthy what you probably did – it’s excellent – however this man I’ve to speak a bit extra about him.
Raphinha starring for Barcelona (Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
“Raphinha, when folks speak about being full as a striker that you must find out about placing on strain additionally and defend, and assist your full again. And he has all of it.”
In FourFourTwo ‘s view, there is definitely an excellent motive for Raphinha profitable the Ballon d’Or, along with his season at Barcelona neglected in England as a consequence of Mohamed Salah’s clear domination within the Premier League. In the end, the award depends on success in continental or worldwide competitors, which Raphinha nonetheless has an opportunity of securing whereas Salah would not.
