Mohamed Salah must forget World Cup heartache and win quadruple with Liverpool if he’s to beat Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to 2022 Ballon d’Or

Mohamed Salah has endured a very tough start to 2022 by his own incredibly high standards.

The Liverpool forward began the year by leading Egypt to the Africa Cup Of Nations final, but saw his country fall at the final hurdle, losing 4-2 to Senegal on penalties.

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Reds teammate Sadio Mane claimed the bragging rights that night as he was the penalty hero that clinched the African crown for his country, and he repeated that feat as Senegal pipped Egypt to a spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with another shootout victory.

While Salah still has heaps to play for at club level, he could be left to count the cost of his country's inability to shine when it mattered most.

The 29-year-old has genuine ambitions of challenging for the Ballon d'Or in 2022 - the big award given to the top individual player in world football.

Salah has shone for Liverpool in his near five-year stay at Anfield, winning the Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup and Club World Cup in that time.

He has also scored 153 goals as a Red, and won a load of individual accolades, including PFA Player of the Year.

However, the top individual prize in world football has so far escaped him.

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In the 2021 Ballon d'Or awards, Salah finished in seventh place in the standings, with Jorginho, Robert Lewandowski and winner Lionel Messi taking the top three spots.

With Jorginho earning third place after a season that included winning the Champions League with Chelsea and the European Championship with Italy, it perhaps indicated just how influential success on the international stage could be.

For Salah, the focus can now only be on reaching new heights at club level.

The Egyptian forward is undoubtedly Liverpool's most influential player, having already scored 28 goals this term and providing ten assists for the club.

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The Reds are enjoying a season like no other, with Jurgen Klopp's side set to enter April with the genuine aspiration of winning the quadruple.

With the Carabao Cup already secured, Liverpool will be plotting their way to victory in the FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League, where they currently sit just a point behind league leaders Manchester City.

Should the Reds secure such a historic trophy haul then there's no doubt that Salah will be firmly in contention to win this year's Ballon d'Or.

However, with Egypt falling short in the African Cup Of Nations and again in their hopes of earning a spot at the World Cup, it means that the pressure is on for the 29-year-old to show the football world that he's the best on the planet without the use of the global stage in Qatar.

Doing so isn't impossible, but there's no doubt that missing out on glory at international level in the early months of 2022 will be seen as an opportunity missed for a player who is very much at the peak of his powers.

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