Mohamed Salah

Mo Salah – The Last Pharaoh

It takes a lot for a player to be rejected in a league and make a stunning comeback a few years after being sold elsewhere. Few players epitomize a one-man army that can fit the bill for teams they play for. Mohammed Salah has been on a different level ever since he made the move to Liverpool in 2017 and has brought Anfield back to the days of old glory. This is a brief story and tribute to ‘Mo Salah’.

Mohammed Salah was born on 15th June 1992 in the city of Basyoun in Egypt. He began playing football at an early age and was scouted and subsequently integrated into the youth academy of Al Mokawloon at the age of 14. He rose through the ranks and was made to play with the first team at the age of 18. It was here that he established himself in the Egyptian Premier League as a regular despite the drought of goals that he faced in his initial days. His journey through football progressed through to Europe when he was noticed by FC Basel during a friendly. The club had monitored him for a while but decided to take him on a trial post the friendly fixture they played with Al Mokawloon. They were impressed and signed him in June 2012.

Basel Diaries

He made a total of 79 appearances in over two years for the club and scored a total of 20 goals. Despite being just 21, he continued to shine in the Swiss League and Europa League. He was instrumental in the club's run to the semi-final which they lost to Chelsea but managed to knock Tottenham out on penalties in the quarterfinals. Basel was where Salah got his first taste of European football.

Forgettable Spell at Chelsea

The London-based club made the first move for Salah and signed him for 13 million pounds in January 2014. Given that it was under Jose Mourinho, there were doubts about whether he would be integrated into the first team immediately or be a substitute. However, he began to be used sparingly on the wings and even scored his first goal for the club against Arsenal, a team he would torment during his return to the Premier League.

The speculation about his playtime was proved right when he began to be utilized only off the bench and barely made appearances in the 2014-2015 season. To add to this, he was criticised by Mourinho who stated that Salah would “leave either on loan or sold with an offer we are happy to accept”. This would be one of the many nails in the coffin that would result in Salah first leaving the club.

Finding himself in Fiorentina

His loan move to Fiorentina was relatively successful with him providing regular assists and goals in crucial fixtures. However, it ended in controversy with him opting against staying at the club despite having a loan extension clause activated by the club. This was the turning moment in his career when he chose to make another move across Italy to fellow Serie A team, AS Roma.

Honing his craft in Rome

Mo Salah ended his first season in 2015-2016 with a total of 15 goals in over 40 matches for the club. He had established himself as a key player in the teams’ run to the Champions League qualifications and was duly awarded as the Player of the Season. It was no surprise that Roma invested 15 million pounds to sign him permanently the next season with the club setting their sights on the Scudetto.

His second season at the club was better than the first. The club reached the round of sixteen in the Champions League and finished second in the Serie A, just 4 points off the top. Salah scored a total of 19 goals in all competitions for Roma and had officially announced himself to the world.

World-beater at Liverpool

Throughout the past few years, Salah has been phenomenal for both club and country. He has been the ever-dependable winger who has made stellar contributions in taking his club to the top of England, Europe and, even the World. When he was signed for Liverpool in 2017-2018, there was the usual banter about the exorbitant 36 million transfer fee that was paid. Many laughed at the fact that he had struggled for Chelsea and would do the same now at a higher price. But it was all a part of Jurgen Klopp’s jigsaw puzzle that was being assembled over time. He kicked off his goal-scoring addiction right from day one in the Premier League. His opening two months also included a goal against Chelsea where he refused to celebrate. It was fate in the making for the Egyptian who showed his old club what they were missing out on.

His fine run of form continued well into 2018 where he scored a phenomenal 4 goals against Watford. This made him the top goal scorer across Europe. Towards the end of the season, he was awarded the PFA Player of the Year Award, the Golden Boot (a total of 32 goals) and, Liverpool’s Player of the Season award. But as had been fated, there was more success on the horizon for him and the club.

The historic years of 2018-2020 will always be etched in the hearts of all Liverpool fans. The agonizing race for the Premier League title in 2018 was not the end of the road for Liverpool. That same season, they overcame Tottenham in the Champions League final in 2019 to be crowned Champions of Europe for the sixth time. And the man who led from the front was Salah. He overcame an injury the previous year in the final, to come back and show the world what he was truly made of. The very next year in 2019-2020, Liverpool managed to bump off all their opponents in the run to win the title after 30 years. Mo Salah ended the season with 19 goals. Ironically, all his awards in the Premier League have come in the seasons where Liverpool did not win trophies. But this means nothing for him given that he was involved with the team from start to finish, risking and giving his all for the club.

For Liverpool fans, the past decade or so has been a rollercoaster. There was a point in time when the club was the but of all jokes for not having won the Premier League. The team was seemingly lacking in quality while no manager was capable of bringing them out of their problems. Then came the change, and the eleven players and the manager have turned the tide in favor of Anfield. Salah has been an indispensable part of that team and he deserves due credit for everything that he has given to the club. Week in, week out, he has stepped up and played phenomenally. His impact on and off the field has been immense. (One report even suggested that hate crimes against Muslims in Liverpool have receded since Salah joined). While that might or might not be true, Salah is a player who is testament to Liverpool’s culture. He has defined it with his contributions to the game and football fans shall continue to revel in his glory for the years to come.

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