Mohamed Salah is used to coming out on top when it comes to awards decided by a public vote.
It doesn’t matter if he deserves to win or not, with the might of Egypt and a passionate Liverpool fanbase behind him, more times than not he’s going to win.
If he's up for Player of the Month or Goal of the Month, the chances are he'll win. After all, he even won the FIFA Puskas Award in 2018 for his solo-effort against Everton, which supporters didn’t even feel was his best goal that year, never mind when up against the other contenders on the shortlist.
But with Cristiano Ronaldo ’s return to the Premier League comes a change in the wind.
The Portuguese has been named Premier League Player of the Month for September in a decision that will admittedly cause raised eyebrows for most.
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“He’s been terrific, but Mo Salah should’ve won this….comfortably,” was Gary Lineker’s reaction on Twitter to the news and he was not alone.
In September, Ronaldo scored three goals in victories over Newcastle United and West Ham before failing to find the net in a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, with Manchester United currently sitting fourth in the table as a result.
Salah too returned three goals as Liverpool beat Leeds United and Crystal Palace, before drawing with Brentford as they finished the month top of the table.
Now down in second after drawing with Man City, you can’t help but wonder if the result would have been different if the Egyptian’s astonishing assist and solo-effort against the reigning champions had come in the previous month.
But with the Player of the Month decided by votes from supporters on the Premier League website combined with an assessment from a panel of football experts, should Ronaldo coming out on top really be that much of a surprise?
Salah’s huge following might have won him individual awards in the past, admittedly some not fully deserved, but his numbers pale in comparison with United’s number seven.
On Twitter, the 29-year-old boasts 15m followers. Ronaldo has 94.7m. On Facebook, Salah has 14m followers. The Portuguese has 150m. And on Instagram, the Egyptian boasts a hefty 44.2m followers but that is a drop in the ocean compared to the 36-year-old’s 353m.
Salah’s combined 73.2m followership doesn’t come close to Ronaldo’s 597.7m, so he might have to get used to missing out on such individual awards when the public are involved.
But really, should he care?
The duo are likely to be challenging for the Premier League Golden Boot this year, with Salah currently leading the way with six goals to Ronaldo’s three, with such an accolade one that the Egyptian actually has control over and means more to the two-time winner than any public vote.
But even then if you ask him, that’s not the main prize he’ll have in his sights even in these formative weeks of the season.
“We really wanted to win this one but we’re still in the game,” he wrote on Twitter after Liverpool’s draw with Man City. “We’re going for the title and we have what it takes.”
Salah wants another Premier League title. He wants another Champions League title. Any individual prize is just a bonus.
He is already leading the Reds’ charge in both as Ronaldo’s United misfire domestically and on the continent.
Let the Portuguese win Player of the Month. He can win them all along with Player of the Season and the Golden Boot for all Salah cares.
But as long as Liverpool are in a position to fight for the Premier League and Champions League, then the Egyptian will have done his job.
Jurgen Klopp, his team-mates and Reds supporters know exactly what he is contributing to their cause. He doesn’t need individual prizes to prove himself.
A missing Player of the Month trophy for September just leaves him more space on the mantelpiece for the team honours that both Salah and Liverpool are desperate to bring home.
