Liverpool’s Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on February 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Arne Slot says Mohamed Salah will have a “far better chance” of winning the Ballon d’Or if runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool win silverware this season.
The Egyptian superstar, 32, is the favourite to win the award, regarded as the top individual prize in football, after a sensational campaign so far.
Salah, who is yet to sign a new deal to keep him at Anfield beyond the end of this season, has scored 30 goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions during the current campaign.
But Liverpool manager Slot said Tuesday that despite those stellar numbers, the club need to win major trophies to help their forward win his first Ballon d’Or.
“It’s a good thing that Mo is in the discussion because it means he does well and it means we are doing well,” the Dutchman said on Tuesday.
Liverpool’s Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah (R) shoots past Manchester City’s Croatian defender #24 Josko Gvardiol but has his shot saved during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on February 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
“But for him to stay in that discussion, he should bring in the same performances as he’s done for seven or eight months now.
“And I think, in general, someone that wins the Ballon d’Or needs to win something as well, so it’s a great challenge that is in front of us, but also in front of him.”
Liverpool, who host Newcastle on Wednesday, are 11 points clear of second-placed Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with 11 games to go but Slot said he does not fear complacency.
“We all know these players are so long in this competition, even much longer than me, so they know how difficult every single game is, and if you have to play 11, it’s still a long way to go,” he said.
Liverpool’s Dutch manager Arne Slot celebrates at the end of the English Premier League football match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England on February 19, 2025. Aston Villa and Liverpool equalised 2 – 2. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Liverpool are also in the final of the League Cup, where they will face Newcastle again, and will meet Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Slot was asked at his pre-match press conference whether Salah’s current form could be compared with that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at their peak but he shied away from direct comparisons.
“He (Salah) has had some outstanding seasons here at Liverpool, and we hope he can continue this for a longer period of time, but to do that he first has to extend his contract of course,” he said.
The Liverpool boss was also asked whether Salah’s red-hot form would make it easier or more difficult for the club to agree a new deal.
“You can look at it in both ways,” he said. “You can say the better he does, the more expensive he might become, and if he does really worse, we would have second thoughts if we wanted to extend his contract.
“So I think for everyone it’s the best that he brings in the performances he does now. Maybe only for the one that has to pay him it’s not the best, but for everyone else it’s the best.”
Nigeria’s Super Falcons, Falconets duo Christiana Uzoma and Janet Akekoromowei as well as Flamingos star Oluwakemi Adegbuyi have been nominated in the women’s category of the 2026 CAF Awards.
CAF released the shortlists on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, ahead of the awards ceremony scheduled for Monday, December 7, 2026 in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Super Falcons were nominated for the Women’s National Team of the Year despite a disappointing 2026 WAFCON campaign where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Cameroon (1-0) and failed to qualify for the 2027 World Cup.
Uzoma, 17, was nominated in the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year category after starring for Edo Queens in the NWFL and WAFU-B Women’s Champions League qualifiers and captained the Falconets at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after regular captain Joy Igbokwe missed out on a visa.
Her impressive performances for both club and country earned her a first senior Super Falcons call-up for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Qualifiers.
She faces competition from Cameroon’s Michaely Bihina (Golden Glove winner at WAFCON 2026), Morocco’s Khadija Er-Rmichi, South Africa’s Andile Dlamini and Ghana’s Cynthia Konlan.
The Women’s Young Player of the Year category saw Nigeria get double nominations with Adegbuyi and Akekoromowei making the cut in the 10-player shortlist.
FC Robo 16-year-old Adegbuyi won the 2025/26 NWFL Player of the Season and Super Six MVP after scoring 11 goals.
She was also MVP at the WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Yamoussoukro and recently released from the Super Falcons camp to join the Flamingos for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Akekoromowei, 18, of SL Benfica and Falconets goal-scoring sensation who now got called up for Super Falcons Olympic qualifiers vs Comoros.
The winners will be decided by votes from CAF Technical Committee, media and captains/coaches.
Andoni Iraola believes his Liverpool side are in for a difficult test when they face Fenerbahce in the Champions League this evening. (Wednesday)
The Reds have made a 100% start to their league-phase campaign, defeating Atletico Madrid, LASK and Villarreal to sit third in the standings ahead of MD4.
However, Liverpool have not won any of their six away games against Turkish teams in the European Cup/Champions League, losing five of them (D1), and the last four in a row.
Liverpool have never lost five consecutive away games against sides from one nation in UEFA’s flagship club competition, but Iraola knows a stern test awaits his side.
“It won’t be easy, you talk about statistics, especially English teams playing here,” said Iraola.
“They have very good players and a very good squad, they know how to play in this competition. We have to start strong in the game.
“They have very good players in midfield, they have a very good technical level. If we allow them a lot of time on the ball and don’t press them properly, we will suffer.
“We need to not allow them to win confidence as they have experienced players who know how to play in this competition.”
Fener and Liverpool will meet for the first time in this match – the Reds have only won four of their 11 games against Turkish sides in the European Cup/Champions League (D2 L5), although the most recent victory was a 4-0 triumph over Galatasaray in March this year.
Following their draw against Slavia Prague last time out (2-2), Fener are now on their longest-ever winless run in the Champions League (10 games – D4 L6).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has fulfilled his $100,000 reward pledge to the Super Falcons following the team’s historic triumph at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations where Nigeria clinched a record-extending 10th continental title.
According to a statement from the National Sports Commission ,NSC), the players have started receiving payments of approximately ₦140 million each, representing the naira equivalent of the President’s promised reward.
The payment comes months after the Super Falcons staged a remarkable comeback to defeat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final played in July 2025.
Having gone two goals down, the Super Falcons rallied in the second half to secure a memorable victory and reclaim the African crown.
Captain Rasheedat Ajibade has expressed the team’s appreciation to President Tinubu for honouring his commitment, noting that the gesture recognises the players’ hard work and achievement on the continental stage.
The reward is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to recognise and encourage Nigerian athletes following outstanding performances in international competitions.
In a similar gesture, President Tinubu also fulfilled his $100,000 reward pledge to members of D’Tigress after their victory at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship, where the Nigerian women’s basketball team extended its dominance by winning a fifth consecutive title.
The latest development marks another financial recognition of the Super Falcons’ achievement and their place in the history of African women’s football.
