Henry overlooks Salah in Ballon d’Or prediction despite “extra spice” final

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has predicted the winner of this season’s Ballon d’Or – with Karim Benzema, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Robert Lewandowski all in the running

Thierry Henry has backed either Sadio Mane or Karim Benzema to win this season’s Ballon d’Or, overlooking Mohamed Salah.

Mane’s Liverpool and Benzema’s Real Madrid will meet in the Champions League final later this month. The Reds qualified for the showpiece event in Paris after beating Villarreal 5-2 on aggregate, while Real edged Manchester City 6-5 in a pulsating tie.

All three players are expected to start the final. Benzema is currently the favourite for the award after helping Real win La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, scoring 43 goals in as many games this season. He also won the Nations League with France in October.

But Mane has helped Liverpool lift the EFL Cup and could be part of a historic quadruple-winning side. The Reds have reached the FA Cup final – as well as the Champions League – and are just one point behind leaders Man City in the Premier League title race.

The Senegalese forward has also flourished at international level, leading his country to victory in February’s Africa Cup of Nations final and qualification for this year’s World Cup in Qatar. Both deciding games in those tournaments were against Salah’s Egypt.

And for these reasons, Henry believes Benzema and Mane are the favourites for the Ballon d’Or. “If you think about the final and to make it even bigger, the two favourites for the Ballon d’Or are Sadio Mane and Karim Benzema,” the Frenchman told CBS Sports.

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“That will add a little extra spice into it. I still believe that Benzema is ahead, but if Mane wins it with Liverpool and they do make the quadruple, that would be a pretty strong case. It would be great for Africa, but I’m still going with Benzema.”

Despite Henry’s opinion, Salah will fancy his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or. He is still viewed by many as Liverpool’s talisman – scoring 30 goals and providing 14 assists this season – and was recently named the FWA Footballer of the Year.

Salah is one of the favourites to be named PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Liverpool’s equivalent award. He’s also leading the race for Premier League’s Golden Boot and Playmaker awards. In comparison, Mane has scored 21 goals and provided three assists for his club this term.

Benzema, Mane nor Salah have ever won the Ballon d’Or. The defending champion is Lionel Messi, who picked up a record seventh crown last year. Luka Modric is the only player apart from Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi to win the Ballon d’Or since 2007.

“Of course it means a lot, it would mean a lot to win it,” Salah told FourFourTwo when asked about the Ballon d’Or. “One of my purposes in life is to change the people, especially in my country, an Arab country – that they can achieve what they want to achieve.

“Those things give them more belief in themselves, that they can do whatever they want… I will never say, ‘Yeah, I’m better than this person or I’m better than that person.’ No – but in my mind I’m always choosing myself as the best, I don’t choose anyone other than me. It’s always opinion, though. I respect all other players.”