Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has named Lionel Messi as the greatest left-footed player in football history. The Egyptian picked the Inter Miami captain over notable names such as Rivaldo, Diego Maradona, and even himself in a winning-stays-on questionnaire.
Speaking to Ballon d’Or’s social media team, Salah was asked to choose between some of the greatest left-footed footballers, with the winner moving forward to face a new opponent. He started off being asked to pick between James Rodriguez and Ryan Giggs, and the Liverpool star selected the Manchester United legend for his longevity.
Ryan Giggs managed to keep his place ahead of Riyad Mahrez but eventually lost out to Ángel Di María. The Argentine winger then held his ground against Gareth Bale, Mesut Özil, and Arjen Robben but was defeated by Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman stayed ahead of former Ballon d’Or winner Hristo Stoichkov but was soon beaten by Rivaldo.
Brazilian legend Rivaldo quickly lost his spot to Diego Maradona, who ultimately missed out on the top spot to Lionel Messi. The final question posed to Mohamed Salah was to pick between the Barcelona legend and himself, and he stood by his decision to choose the Argentine maestro.
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### Mohamed Salah is on the same level as Lionel Messi, says Markus Babbel
Earlier this year, former Liverpool defender Markus Babbel spoke to Wette.de and claimed that Mohamed Salah was on the same level as Lionel Messi. Babbel expressed strong belief that the Liverpool star had already sealed the Ballon d’Or win for 2025.
He said:
“I’ve only seen one player on Mohamed Salah’s level with a similar record, it’s Lionel Messi. You look at his goal record and it’s like he’s a number 9; but he’s a winger! He’s not Ian Rush, he’s not Alan Shearer, he plays out wide. It’s unbelievable. The goal record isn’t normal; I can only compare him to Messi with that goal-scoring power. It’s not just the last season either, it’s the last ten years, his level is truly world class.
I’m so surprised that he has never been in the running for the Ballon d’Or, I can’t believe he has never been in the top three. He’s the best player in the world in his position. Salah has a real chance to win the Ballon d’Or this year, but I think it will go to a Real Madrid player after they didn’t come to the ceremony this year. He deserves it though.”
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Mohamed Salah is one of the 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or this year, while Lionel Messi has missed out for the second consecutive season.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/news-mohamed-salah-ranks-greatest-left-footed-players-makes-decision-asked-pick-lionel-messi