The nominated players are:
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah’s impressive level of performance throughout last season earned him a place on the 2022 Ballon d’Or shortlist, with the Egyptian player nominated among six Liverpool players.
It has been an eventful year for Salah, as he put in an impressive streak of performances, scoring 31 goals and 16 assists in 51 appearances for Liverpool. The 30-year-old made 15 appearances for his country when they reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations and clinched the World Cup qualifiers.
Despite his best efforts, Salah and his team were unsuccessful in both matches, losing the AFC Cup and a place in Qatar 2022 to Senegal’s Sadio Mane.
Sadio Mane
Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane could become the first African player to win the Ballon d’Or since George Weah in 1995. He is directly behind Benzema in the shortlist after scoring 33 goals and helping his teams at the Africa Cup of Nations. The success of the Cup and the Carabao Cup.
Luis Diaz
Luis Diaz spent the first half of the season at Porto, helping them on their way to the Premier League title, before joining the Reds for £50m in the winter transfer window.
With six goals and five assists in the second half of the season, the Colombian played a huge role as Liverpool emerged two games away from completing an unprecedented four titles.
Fabinho
Fabinho is a versatile player who usually works in midfield but is comfortable in defense as well. The Brazilian is Liverpool’s most defensive lineman and played a huge role in the Reds’ success in 2021/22.
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk, “Rock in Defense”, has an amazing ability to read games combined with his brilliant presence of mind and excellent techniques. The huge Dutchman is arguably the best centre-back in the world.
Van Dijk has been crucial to Klopp’s brilliant career in every competition, taking part in all the big matches and putting in an incredible performance.
The 30-year-old was also able to score twice, namely against Crystal Palace and Leeds United in the Premier League.
Trent Alexander Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold has already established himself as the ‘new Beckham’ or the best passer in the game. The English player ranks second on the assists list in the Premier League, with 12 to his name from 31 appearances.
Alexander-Arnold is one of their best attacking full-backs and the Reds rely on him a lot when it comes to getting past defences. The ‘Chief Creators’ will be deployed to Liverpool after the Englishman was on the verge of breaking the Premier League record for a defender next season.
Alisson is contending for the Yashin Cup, but will face stiff competition from Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, who was also one of three players nominated for the UEFA Player of the Year award on Friday.
