Ballon d'Or Africa-bound? 3 stars capable of repeating George Weah's triumph
Owuraku Ampofo of Flashscore Ghana examines the future of the Ballon d'Or and nominates three African stars capable of winning the award for the first time since George Weah's triumph almost 28 years ago...
The last time an African won the Ballon d'Or, DVDs had just been invented. The year was 1995 and George Weah's stellar performances for PSG and AC Milan catapulted him to win the most prestigious individual award.
It remains a notable year for African football as Weah became the first non-European player by nationality to win the award after the criteria was expanded to include the rest of the world. 28 years later, the Liberian's name still stands tall as he remains the first and last African to be adjudged as Ballon d'Or winner.
Since Weah's triumph, a number of Africans have come close notably; Samuel Eto'o and Mohamed Salah finished fifth in 2009 and 2022 respectively, Didier Drogba narrowly missed out on the podium placing fourth, and Sadio Mane ended up as runner-up in 2022.
In previous years, the criteria to select the Ballon d'Or winner has become dynamic with constant changes. However, the current requirements are individual performances, collective performances, and a sense of fair play. With Messi admitting that this is his last Ballon d'Or and Cristiano Ronaldo not being nominated whilst he's out of Europe, can an African replicate the success of Weah? I look at the three leading candidates for the continent for next year.
Mohamed Salah – Liverpool and Egypt
While the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony was ongoing, Salah posted a celebration picture from the previous weekend. The Egyptian scored Liverpool's third in a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forrest on Sunday. The goal was Salah's 10th of the season in all
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