Jermaine Pennant says it’s a massive ‘shame’ what’s happened to £34m Liverpool star

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Jermaine Pennant has expressed his sympathy to a Liverpool star after massive off-the-pitch developments emerged this week.

The Reds have somewhat found themselves in the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, despite maintaining their perfect record across all competitions.

Hugo Ekitike has been criticised by the media after his needless sending off in the 2-1 win against Southampton in the Carabao Cup; both his yellow card offences were avoidable.

While Arne Slot can move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table this weekend, should other results go his way, there is a slight sombre atmosphere on Merseyside.

And one Liverpool star must pick his head up and continue his incredible start to the season, which has flown under the radar, although Pennant believes the man has every right to feel wronged.

Mohamed Salah deserved to win the Ballon d’Or

Ousmane Dembele was named the 2025 Ballon d’Or recipient during the ceremony on Monday, and when speaking on the Wildcards podcast, Pennant suggests Mohamed Salah should have been in with a chance.

“I think that’s why we saw Salah so distraught when they got knocked out to PSG. I think he knew. We don’t get far in this competition’s semi finals the chances of him winning it (Ballon d’Or) are very low.

“It’s just the shame, isn’t it? The chance of him winning it is very, very low because, to be fair, he did deserve something because he was unbelievable that year.”

Only three Premier League players have won the Ballon d’Or in history: Manchester City’s Rodri, six-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008, and, of course, Michael Owen.

Liverpool supporters were confident Salah would win ahead of the ceremony; his 57 goal contributions across all competitions significantly outperformed the 48 goal involvements Dembele mustered.

None would have predicted the Egyptian to fall outside of the top three, with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha claiming third spot and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal finishing as runner-up.

However, club achievements carry significant weight in deciding the winner, and with PSG winning the Champions League last season, Dembele was long considered the frontrunner for the award despite claims that Salah should have been the winner.

Mohamed Salah now knows what he needs to do at Liverpool

While supporters can debate the weight of winning Ligue 1 with PSG and the Premier League with Liverpool, the fact of the matter remains that domestic success is not enough for the Ballon d’Or.

Indeed, Salah claimed the Golden Boot and Playmaker awards last season, as he almost single-handedly carried the Reds to their 20th league title.

And it will be no easy task to repeat this feat, but unfortunately, Salah must attempt to replicate last year’s displays, focusing on bringing the Champions League trophy back to Anfield in May.

The 33-year-old is on track for another phenomenal campaign, having notched three goals and three assists in six outings, but if he can help the Reds return to the pinnacle of European football, he will undoubtedly stand a remarkable chance of winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or.