Mohamed Salah wants to emulate George Weah as only the second-ever African to win the Ballon d'Or, and was "shocked" by his seventh-place finish last year.

The Egypt international posted sixth and fifth-place finishes in 2018 and 2019 in the annual awards ceremony to crown the best men's footballer in the world.

But he saw his standing slip two years later after a 2020 cancellation, placing outside the top six as Lionel Messi extended his record haul.

Since then, Salah has helped fire Liverpool to a domestic cup double, plus a second-place Premier League finish and another Champions League final during 2022 as he recorded 46 goal involvements in 2021-22 (31 goals, 15 assists).

In addition, he has already picked up a slew of individual prizes, including another Premier League Golden Boot, the FWA Footballer of the Year and - most recently - the PFA Player of the Year.

But it may not be enough for the forward to emulate Liberia star Weah, who is the only African to previously lift the Ballon d'Or.

"I want to win it to join George Weah, the only African [in 1995]," Salah told L'Equipe.

"It's true that I was shocked by my ranking in 2021 (seventh). For this year, the defeat against Real Madrid is a disadvantage, even if I played a good game in the final.

"But it doesn't cancel out everything I've achieved for months. Let's wait for the vote. And if I'm not Ballon d'Or in 2022, I'll do everything I can to be the next one."

Salah's disappointment at losing in the Champions League final to Madrid last month has not dimmed his appreciation for fellow attacker and Ballon d'Or frontrunner Karim Benzema.

Salah admits he sees himself in the France forward, and feels a kinship in his approach to how he imposes himself upon the wider team.

"I understand what Benzema says. He doesn't just see himself as a goalscorer, he knows he influences every aspect of Real Madrid's game," he added.

"Like others, I want to be seen as the best player in the world.

"At Liverpool, everyone runs for everyone else. If I don't fight for the defence, they won't fight for me.

"I have to be an example, to be the first to press, to sacrifice myself for the team."

Victor Osimhen matched the Serie A feat of Mohamed Salah, Samuel Eto'o and George Weah as the striker's double dragged Napoli to a 2-1 win over Udinese.

Gerard Deulofeu's first-half strike edged Udinese ahead at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, before Osimhen came to the fore after the interval.

Not only did that keep Napoli, temporarily at least, on level terms with leaders Milan, but the two goals took him to 11 for the campaign in Serie A.

That makes Osimhen the first Nigerian to achieve double figures in two consecutive Serie A seasons, while he became just the fourth African player to achieve the feat in the Italian top flight, after Weah for Milan, Eto'o for Inter and Salah for Roma.

The 23-year-old labelled the victory as essential in the hunt for Napoli's first Scudetto since the 1989-90 season.

"The atmosphere was incredible. We had a good reaction after the first half. It was essential to win and I thank the fans for their support," he told DAZN.

"We have to believe we can win the league. There are still eight games and we have to continue like this."

Napoli will look to continue their title charge after the international break when they visit top-four chasers Atalanta.

Victor Osimhen matched the Serie A feat of Mohamed Salah, Samuel Eto'o and George Weah as the striker's double dragged Napoli to a 2-1 win over Udinese.

Gerard Deulofeu's first-half strike edged Udinese ahead at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, before Osimhen came to the fore after the interval.

Not only did that keep Napoli, temporarily at least, on level terms with leaders Milan, but the two goals took him to 11 for the campaign in Serie A.

That makes Osimhen the first Nigerian to achieve double figures in two consecutive Serie A seasons, while he became just the fourth African player to achieve the feat in the Italian top flight, after Weah for Milan, Eto'o for Inter and Salah for Roma.

The 23-year-old labelled the victory as essential in the hunt for Napoli's first Scudetto since the 1989-90 season.

"The atmosphere was incredible. We had a good reaction after the first half. It was essential to win and I thank the fans for their support," he told DAZN.

"We have to believe we can win the league. There are still eight games and we have to continue like this."

Napoli will look to continue their title charge after the international break when they visit top-four chasers Atalanta.