Gary Lineker's thoughts clear on Ballon d'Or race as he makes Mohamed Salah comment

Gary Lineker says "has to be" considered for this year's

The 'Egyptian King' has been instrumental in success this season, with 28 goals and 18 assists under his belt so far. And as a result, believes Salah's performance should put him in the running for the prestigious award later this year.

Speaking on The Rest Is Lineker said: "It's still too early to say obviously, because this is done for the end of the year. So I suppose it does depend who wins the

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"If go on to win the , you'd have to say will have an excellent chance of winning it. It doesn't mean to say you'd rule out Lamine Yamal, or because they'll probably do the double.

"They've already won the , they're looking very good for Yes, they've got a coming up, but they've got a four-point gap so they should be able to hang on, even if they lose that game.

"I think it's probably brought one or two more players into the equation, possibly even - what he's done this season, definitely has to be in contention. It's tough to call at the moment, so we'll just have to wait and see. Somebody might sparkle in the Champions League final and blow us all away. We'll have to wait and see."

As pondered how officials score the award, Lineker added: "If it was just the best player, it would probably be either be Raphinha or Lamine Yamal this season. But it's not. It also counts what you've won."

According to website, players are selected for the Ballon d'Or by an international jury of journalists based on their individual performances, decisive and impressive character, team performances and achievements, and class and fair play. The site adds: "Each juror selects ten players in descending order of merit from a list of 30 established by the editorial staff of France , members of the editorial staff of L'Équipe, the best juror from the previous edition [SIC] and UEFA ambassadors Luís Figo for the men's trophy and Nadine Kessler for the women's trophy.

"The ten selected players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point, respectively. The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player with the highest number of points."

It's been a phenomenal season for Salah, both individually and as part of his team. He's on track to win the Premier League Golden Boot with his current tally of 28 goals, and he's already clinched his second league title with

Despite a career filled with team accolades, the Ballon d'Or is one award that has eluded Salah, and a Premier League title and top goal-scorer award may not be enough to sway the vote in his favour this season either. This is due to Liverpool's failure to secure the , the and the Champions League, coupled with impressive performances from players abroad.

For example, last year's Ballon d'Or winner, won a Premier League title with and the with Spain, before outshining his competitors in the voting process. To put it into perspective, the 28-year-old amassed a total of 1170 points, surpassing 1129 and 917.

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