After Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Manchester City last weekend, ex-defender Carragher was on the panel for Sky Sports alongside Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge.
When the discussion moved to Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or – with the Liverpool winger already bagging 30 goals and 21 assists this season – the Egyptian was compared with the likes of Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona winger Raphina. In previous years, Salah has never finished higher than fifth in the overall rankings, and last year was not even on the 30-man shortlist.
Carragher, who played 508 games for the Reds, then gave his thoughts on why Salah doesn’t end up ranking higher. He said: “I think the problem is the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such or maybe got a great chance of winning.
“I think it’s either the Champions League or a major tournament, the player who excels in that, like Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe right now.”
Fellow pundits Richards and Sturridge were quick to point out that AFCON is a major tournament; it’s the African equivalent of the Euros or Copa America. In the moment, Carragher appeared to mouth the words, “Oh my God,” and made eye contact with the camera.
Since the incident, Carragher has come under fire from fans and pundits alike. Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand said: “That comment is representative of the majority of people out there, I think it’s an ignorant thought process. It should be respected more than it is. I understand what Jamie’s saying but I don’t agree with it, that’s a majority view and it’s not right.
“What Jamie’s saying, and he’s right, if Salah won AFCON, it would have no bearing on anyone’s voting on the Ballon d’Or and that’s wrong, that was one of the parts he was arguing about.”
Salah’s former Egyptian teammate Ahmed Elmohamady also hit back at the ex-Liverpool defender, adding: “Jamie Carragher doesn’t know what major tournaments are because he never won one.”
In a lengthy thread on X, Carragher responded to the intense criticism he has faced.
He said: “The point I was trying to make yesterday was that Mo Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Ballon d’Or. If Salah had an average season at Liverpool, but won the AFCON and was player of the tournament then I don’t think he would win the Ballon d’Or
“I don’t think AFCON carries the weight of other tournaments. But if Mbappe had an average season at Real Madrid but won the World Cup or Euros, then he would still have a great opportunity. It’s not just about certain tournaments – [Andriy] Shevchenko and[Robert] Lewandowski were never going to win the World Cup or Euros to help their case for the prize.
“I don’t think it’s controversial at all really it’s just a fact. I know [Sadio] Mane came second a few years back after winning the tournament, but that alone wouldn’t have got him to that position. It was Liverpool being two games away from [winning the] quadruple that also played a big role.
“It’s not disrespectful if I feel the World Cup, Euros, Champions League are better tournaments. That’s just my opinion when I watch them. Saying it wasn’t a major competition was clumsy but I think most people watching could understand the point I was trying to make.
“The face I pulled when Micah interjected was nothing to do with the merits of the tournament, I just knew as soon as he did what the reaction was going to be! I get a lot people didn’t like what I said and that’s fine.”