An awkward moment in the Sky Sports studio on Sunday saw Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge check former England and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher after he appeared to disregard the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The trio were analysing Liverpool’s impressive 2-0 win away to Manchester City in which Mohamed Salah scored one goal and set up another. That took him to 30 goals and 21 assists in all competitions this season, on course for his best campaign in a Liverpool shirt as the Reds moved 11 points clear at the top of the English Premier League table.
Salah, 32, is now the favourite to claim the 2025 Ballon d’Or, an award which he’s never won. While debating the Egyptian’s chances of lifting the coveted prize later this year, Sturridge claimed that former team-mate Salah has always wanted to be known ‘the best in the world’, but Carragher suggested that there was an obstacle.
“I think the problem, 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 the major tournament,” Carragher explained.
“Normally, the player who excels in that, you’re looking at Vinicius Junior and (Kylian) Mbappe right now, Real Madrid looking really good going for the Champions League. Liverpool will be in that conversation but right now he’s certainly the front runner.”
That prompted both Richards and Sturridge to check Carragher, with Richards arguing: “Just to say, AFCON is a major tournament because a lot of people will be at home saying, ‘They aren’t taking it serious’. AFCON is a big tournament, just so you know.”
Carragher responded by asking whether Egypt — who Salah captains — would be in contention to win 2026 World Cup, to which ex-City defender Richards said: “No, but AFCON is big, isn’t it? You remember when him and [Sadio] Mane was going for it and…”
An exasperated Carragher replied: “Oh god,” before Sturridge gave his firm take. “It’s a fact. It’s a fact. It’s a fact,” the former Liverpool striker declared. “If you win the Euros or Copa America it’s deemed to be big, so the AFCON is in the same level.”
This year’s AFCON starts in December and finishes in January, a month earlier than usual. Despite Egypt winning a record seven titles, Salah has never been part of any of their triumphs.
The 32-year-old has gone close before, though, picking up a runners-up medal twice. What’s notable, however, is that this year’s Ballon d’Or will be handed out two months before AFCON gets underway in Morocco, so it’ll likely be Salah’s achievements for Liverpool which stand him apart from his competitors.
Incidentally, some of the biggest stars in the big European leagues have starred at AFCON in the past, including Liberia’s George Weah, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, Senegal’s Sadio Mane, Nigeria’s Nwankwo Kanu, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Joseph Yobo, Mikel Obi and Ademola Lookman, as well as Ghana’s Anthony Yeboah, Abedi Pele and Michael Essien; Cote d’Ivoire’s Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, and hundreds of others.
Mirror Sport
