Liverpool icon makes bullish Mo Salah future admission - and how ‘rigged’ Ballon d’Or voting must change

Mo Salah has been backed to extend his Liverpool stay amid uncertainty over his contract.

And former Kop striker David Fairclough believes the voting system for the Ballon d'Or needs changing after the Egyptian's latest snub.

Salah's future

Salah has been in imperious form for the Reds this season heading into Wednesday night’s Merseyside derby against Everton.

The forward has plundered 17 goals in just 18 appearances, with many concurring he's now the best player in the world.

Salah, who has been pivotal in Jurgen Klopp's side winning the Champions League and Premier League since his arrival from Roma in 2017, is out of contract in the summer of 2023.

Liverpool have still to come to an agreement despite being in negotiations. Salah's been alleged to be demanding wages of £500,000 per week.

But speaking to LiverpoolWorld, Fairclough reckons there would be no better place than Anfield for Salah to play his football.

Asked if Salah will stay on Merseyside long-term, Fairclough said: “I think so. Where would you rather play your football at this moment in time?

“Liverpool seems as good a place for any, if not the best place to play football.

“The system is set up for him to thrive in, he's getting the results and popularity.

“The club treasures him, the fans love him. OK, you might get a bit of sun in Barcelona and Madrid at some times of the year but you couldn't find a better place than Anfield to play week in, week out."

‘Broaden the voting rights’

Plenty of people, including Liverpool boss Klopp, were shocked by Salah's lowly placing in the 2021 Ballon d'Or.

He finished in seventh, with Lionel Messi scooping his record-breaking seventh award and Robert Lewandowski finishing second.

Fairclough, who was nicknamed Supersub during his spell at Liverpool and clinched three league titles and three European Cups, believes a fairer voting system is needed for the Ballon d'Or.

He added: “The vote of the process may be a little bit imbalanced. Messi has had his fans down the years.

“Is he, at the moment, the best player in the world? Perhaps not on form, more on reputation.

“Maybe they have got to come to a more fair voter system. It seems to be sort of rigged between the bigger names - Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo. Lewandowski has got into it a little bit but, generally, broaden the voting rights.

“On form, Mo is up there, he is in the top three players in the world at this moment but it's not reflective in the voting of the Ballon d'Or.

“He came seventh on the list. He has probably got his fans in the African regions and a few through the European regions but, perhaps on reputation, the names of the past still end up taking the lion's share of the vote so change the voting system.”