Babbel sees Salah as the leading candidate for the Ballon d’Or: He should win it this year

Ex-Reds star Markus Babbel insists that only a prime Lionel Messi could rival his talent, underscoring Salah’s claim to the award.

This season, Salah has dazzled with 28 goals and 19 assists in 36 games, even breaking pre-Christmas EPL records.

"I've only seen one player on Mohamed Salah's level with a similar record, and that's Lionel Messi," ex-Liverpool defender Markus Babbel told Wette.de.

"You look at his goal record and it's like he's a number 9, but he's a winger! 

“He's not Ian Rush, he's not Alan Shearer, yet he scores so many goals. It's unbelievable."

"I can't believe Salah has never been in the top three. He's the best player in the world in his position. If there's any fairness, he should win it this year," Babbel added.