Farewell to Liverpool’s ‘Egyptian King’ Mohamed Salah

Perhaps the full realization of what Mohamed Salah has achieved Liverpool It will only come with time.

But as he prepares to say his goodbyes on Sunday, there is plenty to praise and admire here and now.

The values ​​that Salah helped to create emerged through the club and his LiverpoolIts quest for greatness.

Then came the records he broke and the goals he scored at Anfield.

Above all, there is the sheer joy he brought and the memories he provided.

“He (Salah) has set a whole new standard for a professional football player – how hard you can work, how much you can invest in recovery and everything.” Jurgen Klopp told BBC Sport In March

Klopp was the manager then Liverpool The Egyptian was signed from Roma in 2017 for £34m.

The deal was called into question due to previous clashes with Salah Chelsea In the Premier League, but those who scouted him Liverpool was sure

Yet they – the scouts, Klopp, everyone involved – could not have predicted how Salah would become the greatest of all time.

257 goals for him Liverpool He has been surpassed by the likes of Sir Kenny Dalglish, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard. Only Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285) scored more runs.

“Mohammed knew what he had to do Liverpool Legend and he’s taken it to a different level,” Rush told BBC Sport.

“He couldn’t believe how many goals I scored. So he actually said to me: ‘Have you counted your goals in training?’

“So he’s got that Scouse sense of humour, too. But it’s not just the goals; you look at the number of assists and he’s a complete footballer.”

For the record, 119 assists.

Salah averages a goal or an assist every 94 minutes Liverpool An astonishing 35,326 minutes of football involved 376 goals.

The remarkable feat of this man, who started his journey in Nagrig, a village in rural Egypt, and became one of the greatest players in one of the world’s greatest football clubs.

Salah sat on a throne inside Anfield last year – the club’s ‘Egyptian king’ committed to extending his reign and marked the occasion in regal style. But now the moment of his resignation has come. A year ahead of schedule.

It is not clear which club or country Salah will play for next season.

Brentford Home marks the final page of the defining chapter of his football career. And what a story it is.

The self-aware Salah appreciates his superstar status and revels in what he stands for in both the football world and the Arabic world.

But he also knows how hard he has worked to reach that status.