The internal dynamics at Liverpool have been laid bare by the transparent voting process for the FIFA Best Awards, with Mohamed Salah's notable snub of manager Arne Slot headlining the revelations.
Liverpool Stars' Voting Patterns Exposed
The FIFA Best Awards, a prestigious ceremony second only to the Ballon d'Or, allows fans to see exactly how captains, coaches, and journalists from each nation cast their votes. This year, six Liverpool players participated as national team captains: Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, Andy Robertson, and Conor Bradley.
While Salah enjoyed a stellar 2024/25 season, contributing 29 goals and 18 assists in Liverpool's Premier League title win, he was surprisingly omitted from the FIFA Best Men's XI. The right-sided spot instead went to Chelsea's Cole Palmer, who had 23 fewer direct goal contributions last term.
Intriguingly, Salah was the only Liverpool captain not to vote for himself for the Best Men's XI. However, he was not alone in being overlooked by a teammate. Conor Bradley selected Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal as his player of the year, placing Salah second on his ballot.
Salah's Managerial Vote and Anfield Future
The most telling vote came in the Best Manager category. Despite Slot leading Liverpool to the Premier League crown, Mohamed Salah, Wataru Endo, and Conor Bradley all voted for Champions League-winning boss Luis Enrique of Paris Saint-Germain. Only Van Dijk, Szoboszlai, and Robertson backed their Dutch manager.
This comes amid significant tension between Salah and Slot. After being benched during Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds earlier in December, Salah publicly claimed he had "no relationship" with his head coach and suggested a subsequent game could be his last for the club.
Following clear-the-air talks, Salah was reintegrated, coming off the bench to provide an assist in the win over Brighton. However, his immediate future sees him depart for the Africa Cup of Nations, where he could miss up to eight Liverpool matches if Egypt reach the final on 18 January 2026.
Implications and Absence
Salah's absence will see him miss crucial Premier League fixtures against Tottenham, Wolves, Leeds, Fulham, Arsenal, and Burnley, as well as an FA Cup tie with Barnsley. His AFCON departure, coupled with his recent comments and voting snub, fuels ongoing speculation about his long-term position at Anfield.
The voting details, confirmed for November's poll, highlight a potential divide and suggest that recency bias may have played a part, given Salah's quieter start to the 2025/26 season with just four goals and three assists so far.
