Mohamed Salah – a relentless eight season wonder

The English Premier League has now become used to Mohamed Salah making a habit of breaking PL records season after season. After eight remarkable years on Merseyside, the Egyptian winger has not only rewritten the record books but also won numerous honours, both as part of a team and individually. Despite his incredible success, Salah’s relentless ambition remains evident. He continues to perform at the highest level, consistently delivering in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. His hunger for success and ability to raise his game year after year has solidified his position as one of the Premier League’s greatest players.

However, his journey in the Premier League didn’t begin on a positive note. Salah first arrived in England in 2014, when Chelsea FC signed him from Swiss club Basel. Unfortunately, his time at Chelsea was challenging. Over the course of a difficult year and a half, he struggled to make an impact under manager José Mourinho, managing only 13 appearances. As a result, he was loaned out to Italian club Fiorentina, where he hoped to regain his form.

Second chances are rare in football, but Mohamed Salah was fortunate enough to get one when Liverpool signed him from AS Roma in the summer of 2017. Salah had just enjoyed a standout season in Serie A, scoring 19 goals across all competitions and helping Roma finish as runners-up in the league. Now with a point to prove, the Egyptian forward wasted no time showing his immense talent. In his debut season with Liverpool, Salah netted an incredible 44 goals across all competitions. His record-breaking 32 goals in 36 Premier League appearances shattered the league’s previous mark, and he quickly became one of the most feared attackers in world football, taking the Premier League by storm.

Salah, for all his incredible achievements, became the victim of his own success, with many skeptics quick to label him a “one-season wonder” after his record-breaking debut campaign with Liverpool. Despite his consistently impressive goal and assist tallies year after year, the expectations were set so high that they overshadowed his sustained excellence. However, his first season’s record now stands in serious jeopardy as he is once again in sensational form this season, proving his critics wrong. Over the years, Salah has been vital to Liverpool winning every major club trophy, including the Premier League, Champions League amongst other honours. Individually, he has earned numerous accolades, including the Premier League Player of the Season, three Golden Boots, and a Playmaker of the Year award. Another notable moment came in 2018 when he won the Puskas Award for his unforgettable goal against Everton in the Merseyside Derby, a testament to his brilliance and ability to rise to the occasion.

In his eighth season with the Reds now, Mohamed Salah is already 8th on the Premier League all time scorers list with 172 goals in 279 games. He is also ranked 10th on the all time assists with 80 assists. As for goal contributions, he has a staggering 252 G/A in 279 PL appearances. 

After sustaining a long-term injury during the African Cup of Nations last season and failing to finish the Premier League campaign on a high, many fans and pundits wrote off Mohamed Salah. However, the Egyptian King has returned this season with even more hunger, proving all his doubters wrong. Now in the last year of his Liverpool contract, the talismanic 32-year-old is showing no signs of ageing or slowing down. If anything, Salah looks imperious and unstoppable, topping both goals and assists stats in the Premier League with 15 goals and 11 assists even before the end of December – another ‘only Mo Salah record’. Additionally, his supreme level of fitness has been another highlight, making him available for a majority of his tenure at the Reds. His ability to raise his game against the big teams is also a testament to his world-class stature. For context, he has a massive 68 goal contributions in 75 games against the traditional big 6. 

But it’s not just about the stats or the numbers for Magical Mo. He is a top-class footballer with an elite mentality, an unparalleled work ethic and personal qualities that make him not only a fan-favourite but also a tremendous influence on his teammates. Young forwards, not only in the Liverpool squad but throughout the Premier League, look up to Salah, wanting to replicate his consistency season after season. His unwavering belief in his own ability and in those around him has been a key factor in Liverpool’s success in various competitions over the years. All this makes him not just a world class player but also a sporting icon who will usher in a new generation of footballers who will believe that they can follow in his footsteps and achieve greatness.

It should be a no-brainer for Liverpool to give Mohamed Salah a new contract as he has proven time and again what an asset he is to the club and it would be a mighty difficult job to replace not just his stats but also his influence within this Liverpool squad.Whether he stays in the Premier League next season or not, Salah has already cemented his place among the Premier League’s all-time greats. He is undoubtedly the best right winger the league has ever seen, and his departure would be a massive loss, not just for Liverpool but for the Premier League as well.