There aren’t many figures in football history who have a more sour relationship with Liverpool FC than Wayne Rooney.
Indeed, as an Everton academy product and a Manchester United legend, it’s not often you hear Rooney say anything positive about Liverpool.
Rooney hated playing against Liverpool during his career, and it’s very rare to hear him say anything positive against the Reds or any of their players.
However, speaking to Ben Black on TikTok, Wayne Rooney has made a painful admission about Mohamed Salah.
Indeed, the England legends was asked to name who he thinks is the best player in the world right now, and he says that as much as it pains him to say it, he thinks Salah is the best player on the planet at the moment.
Wayne Rooney says Mohamed Salah is the best player in the world
Rooney named Salah as the best player in the world right now.
Salah has been starring for Liverpool this season, and many have argued that Salah is a Ballon d’Or contender.
Rooney said that it killed him to say it, but he had to concede that the Egyptian is currently the best footballer on the planet.
“Who is the best player in the world right now?” Rooney was asked.
“It kills me, but I’ll have to say Mo Salah,” Rooney said.
Mohamed Salah compared to other Ballon d’Or contenders
Rooney says that Salah is the best player in the world, and when you look at the stats from this season, it’s hard to disagree.
Indeed, Salah has been outperforming pretty much every top player in Europe this season.
| Ballon d’Or contenders | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Mohamed Salah | 42 | 32 | 22 |
| Robert Lewandowski | 37 | 33 | 2 |
| Erling Haaland | 37 | 28 | 3 |
| Viktor Gyokeres* | 37 | 40 | 5 |
| Vinicius Jr | 35 | 18 | 7 |
| Harry Kane | 35 | 32 | 8 |
| Cole Palmer | 31 | 14 | 6 |
| Raphinha | 36 | 24 | 12 |
| Kylian Mbappe | 39 | 25 | 4 |
| Lamine Yamal | 35 | 10 | 14 |
Of course, Liverpool’s early exit from the Champions League doesn’t help matters, and with Real Madrid progressing this week, Kylian Mbappe is another Ballon d’Or contender to keep an eye on.
Raphinha has been excellent this season too, particularly in Europe, so he could challenge Salah for the Ballon d’Or.
However, based just on individual performances, you have to say that Salah has been the best player in the world this season, despite the fact Liverpool have crashed out of the Champions League early on.
