Mohamed Salah and the Ballon d'Or: Did racism stop the Liverpool star?

Egyptian star Mohamed Salah has become a prominent candidate to win the Best Player in the World Award (Ballon d'Or), amidst competition with shining names like Rafinha and Lamine Yamal from Barcelona, and Ousmane Dembele from Paris Saint-Germain. However, the controversy is not only about performance, but also about the bias and racism Salah faces due to his nationality, as confirmed by sports journalist Dave Hendrick. Speaking on the "Daily Red" podcast specializing in Liverpool news, Hendrick expressed his frustration with what he described as "continuous discrimination against Arab and African players," considering that Salah is not treated fairly in the individual awards race despite his remarkable performances in the strongest league in the world. Hendrick pointed out that Salah's achievements are being downplayed compared to his competitors, emphasizing that Dembele plays in a less competitive league, while Rafinha and Yamal have not reached the level of impact Salah provides, adding: "Lamine Yamal is a talented player, but he is not even the best in Barcelona, so how can he be awarded the Ballon d'Or instead of Salah? This is ridiculous." It is worth mentioning that Salah led his team Liverpool to win the English Premier League title, while the Barcelona duo won the domestic treble, and Dembele achieved titles in the Champions League, the French League, and the French Cup with Paris Saint-Germain. Despite these titles, the issue of fairness and representation of Arab players in major awards remains a subject of wide debate, especially in light of what some describe as "silent marginalization" towards Salah's achievements, whose name is annually put forward as one of the best players in the world, but without his individual career being crowned with major titles.