Omar Marmoush hits back in Mohamed Salah Liverpool claim - 'In my opinion'

Omar Marmoush hits back in Mohamed Salah Liverpool claim - 'In my opinion'

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah had been dismissed as a Ballon d'Or contender after their Champions League elimination to PSG but Man City attacker Omar Marmoush believes differently

Omar Marmoush has heaped praise on Liverpool star Mohamed Salah. (Image: Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images )

Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush believes Liverpool hero Mohamed Salah should be in the conversation for the Ballon d'Or. The richly-contested individual prize celebrates the success of a player, traditionally during a trophy-winning campaign.

Salah was the hot-favourite during the Reds rampage to the top of the Premier League, as well as during their pursuit of silverware in the Champions League and Carabao Cup. However, following Liverpool's elimination in the elite European competition at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, Raphinha replaced the Egyptian as the front-runner following his exploits with Barcelona domestically and in the tournament.

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The 32-year-old tops the charts in the English top-flight for goals and assists as he looks to tie down the accolades in the Reds' final two Premier League matches against Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.

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Salah picked up a whopping 90 percent of the votes for the Football Writers' Association Player of the Year with his Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk coming second in the voting.

Speaking ahead of Manchester City's FA Cup final against Palace on Saturday, Marmoush heaped praise on his fellow countryman and believes Salah should be in the conversation for the award.

"He's a top player with top qualities, he's a top professional as well," he said.

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"He shows it every day on the pitch, it's always nice to see a player from your country show his quality and represent the country.

"Now I'm here, I'm trying to create my own story. It's amazing to see, this season he has been unbelievable.

"I think yes, he should be yeah [in the Ballon d'Or conversation]."

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With Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan in the Champions League final, Ousmane Dembele is emerging as a contender for the award after his displays in the French capital.

Raphinha almost guided Barcelona to the final which would have put him in contention for the award but they suffered agonising defeat in Italy.

Speaking in March, Owen Hargreaves felt that Salah was leading the race but the Brazilian's qualities could not go unnoticed.

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"You can argue that with his numbers this season, [Raphinha's] in contention for the Ballon d'Or," he said on TNT Sports.

"His finishing has been out of this world; he’s captain of the club and he's been an absolute revelation. I think currently you would say he might be in the lead for the Ballon d'Or.

"Salah and Raphinha have similar numbers in terms of goals and assists, which is quite remarkable.

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"You have to win the big trophies. If you win the big ones, then you’ve got a chance. I think right now it's probably Salah, but Raphinha is very close."

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