Eni Aluko wades into AFCON row after Jamie Carragher brands Rio Ferdinand a 'clown' over Mo Salah comment criticism

Eni Aluko has spoken out to give her view on fellow pundit Jamie Carragher's controversial comments about Mohamed Salah and the Africa Cup of Nations.

Following Liverpool's monumental 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, Carragher controversially suggested that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was not a major tournament and would hold back Salah's hopes of winning the Ballon d'Or.

Carragher's claim led to significant backlash online from both fans and his fellow pundits, leading to a back and forth between the Liverpool legend and former rival Rio Ferdinand.

And now, Aluko has spoken out to have her say on Carragher's comments and Salah's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or in October.

Speaking about Carragher's comments on his podcast, Ferdinand said that he believes that it represents an ignorant belief held by a lot of football fans over the quality of the AFCON and its importance to those playing in it.

However, the United legend did agree that if Salah were to win the AFCON with Egypt that it would likely have no bearing on his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or.

This led to Aluko commenting on of the podcast shared by Ferdinand to share her thoughts, disagreeing with both Carragher and Ferdinand.

Reacting to the clip, Eluko wrote: "If Erling Haaland won the Ballon D’Or without winning anything with Norway would anyone bat a single eyelid?? Why are we talking about AFCON in relation to Mo Salah?!"

Mohamed Salah claimed his 25th goal of the Premier League season against Man City. (Image: Getty)

Haaland, somewhat controversially, finished second behind Lionel Messi in the 2023 Ballon d'Or with his highly impressive season with Manchester City leading to many claiming he should have won the award despite Norway failing to qualify for the Qatar World Cup the year before.

This would appear to prove Eluko's point that if Salah continues his current form with Liverpool and they can go on to win the Premier League and/or several other trophies, then he will have more than earned the right to win the Ballon d'Or, regardless of how Egypt perform.

Regardless, Salah will learn whether he has been successful in claiming his first Ballon d'Or award in October this year, two months before Morocco and Comoros kick off the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.