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Mohamed Salah, a living legend at Liverpool, has secured an additional two years to continue building on his extraordinary legacy at Anfield after extending his contract on Friday.
Throughout ongoing speculation about his future, the 32-year-old has delivered one of the finest individual seasons in Premier League history, propelling Liverpool to the verge of a potential league title.
With 27 goals and 17 assists in 31 league appearances, Salah has played a pivotal role in helping manager Arne Slot’s side establish an 11-point lead at the top of the table with seven games remaining.
A third Player of the Year award, from both his peers and football writers, now seems all but assured, as Salah’s remarkable season has sparked debate about his place in the conversation for the greatest Premier League player of all time.
With 184 goals in the English top flight, Salah now sits joint fifth in Premier League history, while also breaking into the top 10 for assists.
When Salah arrived at Anfield in 2017, following a £34 million ($44 million) transfer from Roma, he was not the superstar we know today. Initially, Salah was a pacy winger with potential but had struggled with consistency and delivering end product at several European clubs after making the move from his native Egypt to Swiss side Basel as a 19-year-old.
His first spell in the Premier League with Chelsea had ended in disappointment, as he was discarded after just 19 appearances, a decision that would later be regarded as a monumental mistake.
A move to Italy, starting with a loan to Fiorentina and then a permanent move to Roma, saw Salah restore his reputation. It was here that Liverpool took the gamble on him, even though he wasn’t initially Jurgen Klopp’s first choice. The German manager had favoured his compatriot, Julian Brandt, but the recruitment team persuaded Klopp to bring Salah to Merseyside, where they would go on to rebuild the club into a European and domestic powerhouse.
It didn’t take long for Klopp to be convinced of Salah’s quality as the Egyptian forward scored an impressive 44 goals in his debut season, leading Liverpool to the Champions League final and securing a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Affectionately known as “The Egyptian King” by Liverpool fans, Salah’s goals were soon complemented by trophies.
Although the 2018 Champions League final ended in tears for Salah as he was forced off with a shoulder injury in the first half, which also impacted his performances for Egypt in the World Cup that summer, his resilience came to the fore.
Just a year later, Salah scored in the Champions League final, helping Liverpool defeat Tottenham 2-0 to claim their first major trophy of the Klopp era. This victory was followed by the club’s first Premier League title in 30 years, achieved during the COVID-19-disrupted 2019/2020 season.
Additional silverware, including an FA Cup, two League Cups, and another Champions League final in 2022, confirmed Liverpool’s return to being serial trophy contenders under Klopp, further cementing Salah’s status as one of the world’s best players.
His influence extended beyond football when he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2019, described as an “iconic figure” for Egyptians, Scousers, and Muslims worldwide. Salah has used this platform to advocate for greater gender equality in the Arab world and to call for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza after an Israeli airstrike last year.
However, Salah’s most significant impact continues to be on the pitch. A fitness fanatic, he regularly shares his workout routines on social media, attributing his sustained excellence to his dedication to physical conditioning, which has allowed him to remain at the top of his game as he enters the later years of his career.
The departure of Klopp last year was seen by many as the end of an era for Liverpool, but under Dutch coach Arne Slot, Salah has once again been the driving force behind an unexpected charge towards the Premier League title.
“It’s no coincidence,” Slot said. “The first day I arrived here, we did a fitness test, and he was our fittest player. That tells you a lot about his plans for the season, as well as his incredible mentality and personality.”
