Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah has opened up about his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or after winning a few awards recently.
Salah was recently named PFA Player of the Season by his peers in the Premier League to go along with his Premier League and Playmaker of the Year accolades.
The Egyptian forward has stated he wants to become the second African player to win the Ballon d'Or and feels the UEFA Champions League final loss should erase everything else he achieved this season.
"I want to be recognized as the best player in the world. And the Ballon d'Or is at the forefront of my goals," Salah told France Football.
"I want to win it to join George Weah, the only African. It's true that I was shocked by my ranking in 2021 (seventh).
"For this year, the 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 in 2022, I'll do everything I can to be the next one.
"Last summer, on holiday in Greece, lying in front of the sea, I was asking myself how to be a better footballer, which is getting harder and harder because I always have two or three defenders behind me," Salah said.
"I have to invent new ways to open up the game in front of me, to find other spaces. This reflection has paid off, my statistics have improved.
"My [opposing] defender has to say to himself: 'Damn, him again!'. My goal is that he doesn't have time to catch his breath. He has to feel in danger every moment of the ninety minutes."
