Overview

• Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan publicly urged voters to choose Mohamed Salah, posting a supportive message on Instagram ahead of the Paris ceremony.
• Betting markets currently install PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé as favourite, with Salah viewed as a contender rather than the frontrunner.
• Salah produced 34 goals and a career-high 18 assists in 2024/25, winning the Premier League title and the league’s Playmaker award.
• Past Ballon d’Or results saw him finish sixth in 2018 and fifth in both 2019 and 2022, underscoring his recurrent outside status.
• Recent coverage links a recognition gap to narratives about his background and visible Muslim faith, while a Stanford study credits his Liverpool tenure with reduced hate crimes and anti-Muslim sentiment locally.