Salah nominated for prestigious award previously won by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo amid Liverpool controversy

Recent weeks have been turbulent at Liverpool. Poor results combined with head coach Arne Slot’s surprising decision to bench Mohamed Salah for the past few matches sparked major controversy involving the team’s biggest star. In that context, the Egyptian winger could win an award that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both received in the past.

On Tuesday, the nominees for the different categories of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 awards were announced. There, Salah was named one of six finalists for the prestigious World Sport Star trophy, which is given to a non-British sportsperson whose global impact on sports is considered especially significant during the year.

The Liverpool winger shares the category with five stars from different sports: Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal and Spain women’s soccer player), Terence Allan Crawford (American boxer), Armand Gustav Duplantis (Swedish pole vaulter), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (American hurdler and sprinter), and Shohei Ohtani (Japanese player for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball).

Salah has had a highly unusual 2025. In the first half of the year, he was the Premier League’s standout star, leading Liverpool to the title while finishing as both the league’s top scorer (29) and top assist provider (18). Those achievements were enough to place the Egyptian star among the most outstanding athletes of the year, despite the second half of the year being completely different for him both individually and collectively.

At the start of the 2025–26 season, Mo has registered only five goals and three assists in 19 matches across all competitions. That drop in form has also affected the Reds, who sit in 10th place in the Premier League and 13th in the UEFA Champions League.

Individual awards won by Salah

If he wins the World Sport Star 2025, Mohamed Salah would add another trophy to his already extensive collection of individual honors. Throughout his career, he has not only enjoyed great success at club and international level but has also been recognized with a wide range of awards for his performances.

Among Salah’s trophies are: Globe Soccer Fans’ Player of the Year 2022, Golden Foot 2021, Laureus Sporting Inspiration Award 2021, FIFA Puskas Award 2018, Premier League Golden Boot 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2025, and African Footballer of the Year 2017 and 2018.

Messi and Ronaldo have won the World Sport Star award

The BBC created the World Sport Star award in 1960, originally known as the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. Since then, numerous soccer stars have won the trophy, including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Argentine forward won it in 2022 after capturing the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, while CR7 received the honor in 2014. Other soccer stars who have earned the World Sport Star award include Erling Haaland, Ronaldo Nazario, Pele, and Eusebio.