JURGEN KLOPP BOOK

LIVERPOOL FC CELEBRATION

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Sunday, October 24, 2021: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the fifth goal, completing his hat-trick, during the FA Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC at Old Trafford. Liverpool won 5-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Mohamed Salah goes head-to-head with Lewandowski and Messi for FIFA’s Best

Mohamed Salah has made the final three-man shortlist for Best FIFA Men’s Player of the year, with Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi his last-standing rivals for the award.

Liverpool’s No. 11 was initially named on a list of 11 candidates which has now been dwindled down to three ahead of the ceremony on January 17.

Salah is currently widely regarded as the world’s best but yet remains underrated by many despite his staggering numbers.

In the Premier League so far, Salah leads both the goals and assists charts with a combined tally of 25, 12 more than the next best in Watford‘s Emmanuel Dennis.

And now he finds himself in the company of Lewandowski and Messi for the Best FIFA Men’s Player of the year, guaranteeing at least an equal third-place finish that he received in 2018.

The award recognises the achievements of players from October 2020 to August 2021, during which time Salah scored 26 goals and laid on six assists at club level as he played a key role in the Reds’ fight for Champions League football.

LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, January 2, 2022: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the FA Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

In the same period, Lewandowski netted a total 43 times for Bayern Munich and provided 11 assists and Messi scored 37 and assisted 12 in his final season with Barcelona.

The award is decided by votes by current men’s national team coaches and captains, journalists and fans, with the winner to be announced while Salah is with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations.

By which time, he will have already featured in the two opening group games against Nigeria (Jan 11) and Guinea-Bissau (Jan 15).