Winning Afcon would help Mo Salah get best footballer awards, says Ruud Gullit

Former Dutch national team footballer Ruud Gullit said winning the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) would help Mohamed Salah's claims to be crowned the best player on the planet.

Salah helped Egypt reach the Afcon semi-finals, where they face host nation Cameroon on Thursday night.

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The Liverpool attacker has been in sensational form for his English Premier League side with 16 goals and 10 assists so far, well ahead of his team-mate Diogo Jota, who is on 10 goals.

The manner of Salah's goals have also left many defenders gasping for air and awestruck fans in delirium following the otherworldly feats.

However, Salah finished seventh in last year's Ballon D'Or rankings as he lost out to Lionel Messi. Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, whom many felt should have won, was a surprise runner-up.

Salah also finished third in the running for the 2021 Best FIFA Men's Player award, behind winner Lewandowski and runner-up Messi.

"It would help him," said Gullit when asked if winning Afcon with Egypt would get Salah over the line.

"What he's shown in Europe until now has been unbelievable. We were also surprised he was not in the best [player award nominations]. That was odd."

George Weah was the last African player to win the Ballon D'Or award, as far back as 1995.

Lewandowski was nominated alongside Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, Dutch formula one world champion Max Verstappen, USA swimmer Caeleb Dressel, , Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge, and American NFL superstar Tom Brady for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award announced on Wednesday.

Gullit, a Laureus ambassador, said the Nations' Cup had much to do still to up its esteem among