Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp squared the blame for Mohamed Salah’s seventh-place Ballon d’Or finish on the journalists in the aftermath of the award ceremony.
The Egypt international was ranked seventh in the top honour list with the accolade going Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi’s way despite much talk of other deserving candidates in the fray.
Messi took home the top award with the Argentine megastar finishing ahead of Bayern hitman Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea midfield man Jorginho who rounded up the top three.
Salah’s superb start to the season on Merseyside had made the Liverpool man one of the favourites to clinch the honour but the results left many questioning the award process one of whom was Salah’s manager Jurgen Klopp.
The German while speaking to reporters in his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Goodison Park admitted that was left surprised and doesn’t understand that the decision making behind the Ballon d’Or rankings.
“It’s the Ballon d’Or, journalists vote. You don’t have to ask me, it’s your fault.”
“You’re the journalists; if you think he should be higher up, you have to convince your colleagues.
“I’m really not sure about what is 100%.
“You can always give it to Lionel Messi for the career he had, for the football, all these kinds of things.
“But if you don’t give it to Robert Lewandowski this time then it’s quite tricky to get it at all.
“Yes, Mo almost definitely should have been higher up.”
