“Mo Salah… Mo Salah… Mo Salah… running down the wings, Salah… Salah… Egyptian king…” the heartfelt refrain, belted out at every matchday in the historic Anfield stadium for nine full years, will soon be gone. The era of the Egyptian king in Liverpool has ended as we say goodbye to a modern legend of the English Premier League.
How It All Began
Like most fairy tales, Mo Salah’s time in the EPL didn’t begin with sunshine and rainbows. His first stint at an English club was with the London giants, Chelsea. Coached by the legendary Jose Mourinho, it was easy to see that the Portuguese tactician was not a fan of the Egyptian wonder kid. Although Salah had style and flair in bulk, Mourinho felt there was a deficiency in his work rate and tracking back.
It didn’t take long for the club to choose a side and as such, the young man that was brought in from Basel, was sent on loan and eventually sold to the Italian side Roma.
Salah didn’t give up after that setback, but saw it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Grow he did, taking the Serie A by storm and making himself an extremely desired winger.
It was in Anfield, that he would truly become a talismanic figure. Becoming one of the most prolific African players to ever grace the English game, not only locally, but in the Champions League as well.
The Golden Years
Under the mentorship of Jurgen Klopp, Salah’s game blossomed.
That athletic turn in pace, and swift drop of the shoulder blossomed and flourished in his “Heavy metal” style approach to football.
In his debut season with the reds, he broke several records including the record for the greatest number of goals scored by an African player in a single Champion’s League campaign and the premier league’s all-time goal scoring record for a 38-game season.
For these, he gained numerous personal accolades including being named in the PFA Team of the Year and was awarded the PFA Player’s player of the year award and of course the Golden Boot.
That year unfortunately ended in sorrow as he was taken off injured in the Champion’s League final after a strong challenge by Sergio Ramos. He was visibly distraught and in tears while going off.
His second year at the Merseyside club only took him to greater heights. He was nominated in the top three for both the UEFA Best Men’s Player and the Best FIFA Men’s Player whilst also winning the Puskas that year. He came sixth in the Ballon D’or.
He led Liverpool to their first Champion’s League title in over a decade, scoring in the final against Tottenham.
His third season was just as great leading his team to a first Premier League title in its current format. It was the club’s first league title in several decades. He also finished fifth in the Ballon D’or voting.
His next few seasons, while not being as trophy laden, could still be counted as great on an individual level as he continued to perform admirably and break records, including becoming the third fastest player in Liverpool’s history to score 100 goals for the club and the first since Steven Gerrard accomplished the feat in 2008.
Over time, Salah became an icon at the club and in the league entirely. Not only was he a goal scorer and creator, he was also inspirational. He was outspoken about several humanitarian issues even when colleagues, pundits and coaches criticized him for it.
The Final Years
When Jurgen Klopp left at the end of the 2023/24 season, and Salah’s contract would soon expire, some said it would be end of the Egyptian’s time at Liverpool.
Most of the first 11 of that era had already departed from Anfield, with Virgil Van Dijk and Allisson being the two remaining who had been starters even from the early days of the Klopp era.
But Mohammed Salah stayed on and proved his worth. Under a new head coach Arne Slot, Salah proved he could still do it even under a new manager with new tactical ideas and in his thirties, he proved to be one of the most prolific goalscorers in the English game.
Liverpool won another league title with Salah shining as the talisman.
Salah scored 29 league goals and 18 assists earning yet another golden boot, playmaker of the year award and a Player of the Season award.
His final season fell short of his usual standards with friction in the dressing room and the tragic passing of a teammate causing the red to fall down the league table.
Salah announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, with his final game set to be at Anfield on May 24.
The End
In his time in the English game, Mohammed Salah proved without a doubt that African talent can not only succeed at the highest levels of the game, it can thrive, pushing on to height after height and breaking record after record, not only domestically, but also on the continental stage.
So we bid farewell to the Egyptian king, wherever he ends up next will surely be a success as well.
