Mohamed Salah, a Liverpool forward, has stated that if he does not win the Ballon d’Or this year, he will do everything in his power to win it next year.
Salah admitted to France Football that Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema may be the favorite to win the individual award.
This comes after Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final last month.
Salah hopes to join Liberia’s George Weah as the only African winner but admits he may have to wait.
The 29-year-old who finished down the pecking order in 2021, with Lionel Messi claiming his seventh Ballon d’Or, said: “I want to win it to join George Weah, the only African.
“It’s true that I was shocked by my ranking in 2021. For this year, the [Champions League] defeat against Real Madrid is a disadvantage, even if I played a good game in the final.
“But it doesn’t cancel out everything I’ve achieved for months. Let’s wait for the vote. And if I’m not Ballon d’Or winner in 2022, I’ll do everything I can to be the next one.”