Mohamed Salah is not typically one to seek out interviews. Resultingly, when he does speak, especially outside of a match day or the lead up to one, it is worth noting.
His propensity to handle the media in this manner is why his discussion of the Ballon d'Or with Sky Sports in May was so notable.
The 32-year-old believes this is his 'best chance' to win the award off the back of a season that was both record-breaking for him individually and successful on a club level. Here is why he makes a good point.
Statistical Output
In a career full of outstanding statistical seasons, Salah's 2024/25 Premier League campaign stands out above all.
Ultimately finishing with 29 goals and 18 assists, the Egyptian equaled the Premier League record of 47 goal involvements in a season, a feat he now shares with Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.
Perhaps even more impressive is the disparity between matches for the three players, with Salah achieving this feat in 38 matches and the two Englishman doing so in 42 matches.
This 47 goal involvement mark in domestic play also led Europe's top five leagues, with Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe the next closest at 34 and Ousmane Demebele, the man many have pegged as the favorite for the award, lagging behind at 27.
Since goal involvement stats an be skewed by elevated or deflated performances, the underlying data is worth exploring as well.
Naturally, the expected goals and assists data backs up what we saw on the pitch all season: Salah was performing at an all-time level.
His non-penalty xG/90 minutes of .47 was in the 97th percentile of wingers last season and his expected assisted goals/90 minutes of .38 was in the 96th percentile, a ludicrous combination.
Dembele's underlying data is admittedly at similar elite levels, though Salah's should be seen as more impressive, given the higher caliber of league and greater number of minutes played, which helps limit inflation that smaller minutes creates with per 90 minute statistics.
Role and Importance to Team
While all goals and assists count equal on the scoresheet, they are not all equal in terms of importance when the game state they occur in is factored in.
When comparing the domestic stats of Dembele and Salah, it became clear that both of them contributed with goals when their teams needed them the most.
Of Salah's 29 Premier League goals, 15 came when Liverpool were tied or trailing (around 52%), 9 came when they Reds were ahead by a singular goal (around 31%) and 5 happened when ahead by 2 or more goals (around 17%).
Dembele's stats indicate a similar trend. Of his 21 domestic goals, 11 came when tied or trailing (around 52%), 7 when leading by a single goal (around 33%) and 3 were scored when PSG was ahead by 2 or more (around 14%).
Again, given the relative similarity between these two trends, it is logical to give the edge to Salah when the competitiveness of the two leagues are considered.
The same cannot be said when their assists are examined. 10 of Salah's 18 assists occured when tied or trailing (around 56%), 5 when leading by a goal (around 28%) and 3 when ahead by at least 2 (around 11%). On the other hand, 2 of Dembele's 6 assists occured while trailing or tied (around 33%) and 4 when already ahead by 2 goals (around 67%).
All things considered, it can be concluded that Salah contributed more domestically when in a more challenging game state than Dembele, his chief competition for this award.
That is not to disparage the Frenchman, but context is always necessary when comparing individual seasons.
Availability is the best Ability
Also, a comparison of the domestic minutes played between Dembele and Salah seems logical.
This season, Dembele appeared in 29 Ligue Un matches, with 20 of these appearances starts, racking up 1,730 domestic minutes.
Comparatively, Salah started all 38 matches of Liverpool's Premier League campaign, ending at 3,371 minutes played this season domestically.
The chasm in minutes played is noteworthy. Liverpool asked Salah to carry an enormous burden this season and he had no issues doing so.
Dembele carried a similar burden when playing but was not asked to do so to nearly the same extent in terms of minutes.
He may have been able to handle increased playing time and flourished even more, but there is also the chance his proficiency in front of goal and general effectiveness may have waned if faced with the prospect of extended minutes.
Finally, it is worth highlighting the gap between these two players and the next most prolific forward on their team in domestic play.
For PSG, Dembele's 24 goal involvements are quickly followed by Bradley Barcola's 23. On the other hand, there is a canyon between Salah's 47 Premier League goal involvements and Luis Diaz's 18.
Both players were leant on by their clubs but Salah was clearly the more integral of the two players in their club's runs to domestic titles this season.
To wrap up, if it ends up being Dembele that takes home the award this season, he would be a worthy winner.
But Mohamed Salah's historic season should not be overlooked when this award is voted on.
With Liverpool's early exit in the Champions League and lack of participation in the Club World Cup, there is a real risk it is - and it shouldn't be.