The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award a professional male footballer can receive for his accomplishments on the field. The history of the Ballon d’Or award dates back to 1956. This is the year when the very first Ballon d’Or trophy was rewarded.
With a long and rich history that spans over six decades, this is not only one of the most prestigious awards in the world of football, but also one of the oldest.
It is given every year and presented by France Football. For five years between 2010 and 2015, the Ballon d’Or award merged with the World Player of the Year award presented by FIFA. In these five years, it was called the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
Once the partnership was over, the award’s old name was taken back. As mentioned at the beginning, the Ballon d’Or is given to male football players. Every year, the most successful football player over the previous year received the away.
Before 2006, only football journalists were included in the voting, while today, captains and coaches of national football teams have the right to vote. Before 1995, the award was only given to European players while today, it can be given to any player who has been playing at a European club.
With six Ballon d’Or awards, Lionel Messi is the most successful football player, followed by the Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo who has won the shiniest trophy five times.
Michel Platini has won three Ballon d’Or trophies in 1983, 1984, and 1985. Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten have also three Ballon d’Or trophies while Franz Beckenbauer, Ronaldo, Alfredo di Stefano, Kevin Keegan, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge have won the award two times.
This year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held on the 29th of November in Paris at the Chatelet Theater. Thirty players have a chance to win the most prestigious trophy, including Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne, Giorgio Chiellini, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, Romelu Lukaku, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, Neymar, Raheem Sterling, and Mohamed Salah.
Is Mohamed Salah One of the Favorites for Winning the Ballon d’Or Trophy in 2021?
The vast majority of sports betting sites have already revealed their favorites for winning the most prestigious award in the industry. As listed on this website, the betting websites that offer free bets in Egypt favor amazing Mohamed Salah.
Mohamed Salah was born in 1992 in Nagrig, a small village in Egypt located near Basyoun. He started his career in Egypt in the Al Mokawloon club. He stayed in the club for two years before moving to Switzerland to play for Basel.
He left Basel to join Chelsea. In thirteen appearances, he scored two goals. In 2015, he played for Fiorentina on a loan. He scored six goals in sixteen appearances. During his stay in Roma, he achieved twenty-nine goals in sixty-five appearances.
In 2017, he joined his current club, Liverpool, as a forward. In one hundred and fifty-five appearances, he scored one hundred and five goals. Today, Mohamed Salah is one of the most successful professional football players in the world and also one of the major favorites for winning the Ballon d’Or trophy in 2021. Further, take a look at Mohamed Salah’s stats for the 2020/2021 season.
| Season 2020/2021 | Appearances | Goals |
| Liverpool | 37 | 22 |
| UEFA Champions League | 10 | 6 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 3 |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 0 |
As displayed in the table, the Egyptian superstar played thirty-seven matches with Liverpool the previous season and scored twenty-two goals. With Liverpool, he played ten matches in the UEFA Champions League and scored six goals, and he continues breaking records in the new season as well.
He also scored three goals in two appearances in the FA Cup. According to most sports betting sites, the ultimate favorite for winning the Ballon d’Or trophy in 2021 is Robert Lewandowski followed by Lionel Messi. Mohamed Salah is also there at the top, listed in third place after Messi and Lewandowski and before Jorginho, Karim Benzema, and Lorenzo Insigne.
Aged thirty-three, Robert Lewandowski does not show any signs of slowing down. In twenty-nine matches during the 2020/2021 season in the Bundesliga, he scored forty-one goals. Listed with 4/11 odds, Lewandowski is the top contender for winning the Ballon d’Or award at this year’s event.
Lionel Messi appears in second place with 7/4 odds, followed by Mohamed Salah with 8/1 odds. With this being said, Mohamed Salah is also one of the top contenders for winning the most prestigious award a footballer can get.
