The image of Mohamed Salah storming down the right flank (leaving a handful of defenders sprawled on the floor like toys thrown by a toddler) and then cutting in to curl the ball with his deadly left foot, is one that has brought Liverpool supporters immeasurable joy since 2017.
Despite the Reds seeing this scene countless times over the past seven years, it is one that never fails to send Anfield Stadium into raptures. On the other side of the coin, the imagery has tormented many opposition teams.
Final dance?
As it stands, this may very well be Salah’s final season in Merseyside. After starring for the Reds as they trounced Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford in September — Salah hinted that he may depart Liverpool at the culmination of the 2024/25 season, when his current contract is set to expire.
“Nobody in the club has spoken to me yet about contracts. So, I was just like, ‘Okay, I play my last season and see at the end of the season.’ I feel I am free to play football — we will see what happens next year,” Salah told Sky Sports a month ago.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during their Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on 28 September 2024 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo: Marc Atkins / Getty Images)
Mohamed Salah (far left) beats Lukasz Fabianski of West Ham United to score Liverpool’s third goal during the Carabao Cup third-round match at Anfield on 25 September 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo: Alex Livesey — Danehouse / Getty Images)
Of course, Liverpool and Salah still have a few months to find common ground before the January transfer window opens and the Egyptian is free to begin negotiating a pre-contract with another club.
Over the past year, he has been the subject of intense interest from Saudi Arabia, with Al-Ittihad particularly keen on securing his services.
Wherever he eventually finds himself, the 32-year-old’s legacy as one of the greats of his generation is firmly secured. Since joining the Reds in 2017, he has reached double figures in goals in every campaign.
In fact, during his time in Liverpool he has not scored fewer than 20 goals across all competitions.
In his debut season with the Merseyside club, he managed to score a mammoth 32 Premier League goals in 36 matches. Not a shabby return for someone who “flopped” at Chelsea after joining from Basel in 2014.
Numbers games
Salah’s numbers are even more impressive when considering that he is not a striker, but rather a winger who just knows how to find those pockets of danger and pounce.
Despite this, in the history of the Premier League only Frenchman Thierry Henry (with four) has won the golden boot more times than Salah (three). Although Manchester City super striker Erling Haaland is likely to tear that whole script apart by the time he is done, it will not detract from what Salah has achieved.
He was the centerpiece of a Reds revolution, under former manager Jürgen Klopp, which saw Liverpool snap a three-decade wait for a league title in 2020 – a year after they had conquered Europe by clinching the Champions League.
In 2021, Klopp said Salah was one of his best signings, alongside Polish goal poacher Robert Lewandowski. The latter and the German manager had worked together at Borussia Dortmund.
Mohamed Salah is challenged by Theo Hernandez of AC Milan during their Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match on 17 September 2024 at Stadio San Siro in Milan, Italy. (Photo: Francesco Scaccianoce / Getty Images)
“Let me say it like this: two players (are my best signings). There’s Robert Lewandowski, who I signed for a different amount of money years ago – who had an incredible development from a different level, but an incredible development,” said Klopp.
“With Mo, from the guy who used to score from time to time and was a really good football player, to this goalscoring machine? It is a massive development,” the German tactician said.
“He is an outstanding signing. But for sure, the way he developed, the way he treats himself, the game preparation, the training preparation, training attitude and all these kinds of things? That’s exceptional. That’s a real role model, and he deserves all that, absolutely.”
In recent seasons Salah has expanded his game and infused more creativity into his lethal finishing. In the past, when he, Brazilian Roberto Firmino and Senegalese star Sadio Mané were terrorising defenders as a formidable front trio, Salah was often accused of being greedy.
Maturity
Between 2022 and 2024, his assists tallies have been in double figures, showcasing maturity in this regard. Of course, the fact that he is not as nimble as he used to be may have forced him to realise that he cannot do it all himself.
Yet he is still doing magnificently. In the most recent round of the Champions League, Salah moved ahead of former Chelsea goal-getter Didier Drogba as the highest scoring African in Europe’s premier club competition.
The Egyptian now sits on 45 European goals, one more than the Ivorian great. With Liverpool genuine contenders for the Champions League under Arne Slot, Salah will probably add a few more goals to his historic tally, further enhancing his reputation as an African soccer great.
In a Liverpool context, Salah (with his 200-plus Reds goals) is in the same tier as the likes of Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Roger Hunt, Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush. DM
.