Mohamed Salah has made history after scoring the fifth goal for Liverpool against Toulouse in the Europa League clash at Anfield on Thursday (26 October).
The Egyptian winger scored the 43rd European goal of his Liverpool career and in the process has become the all-time leading goalscorer in European competitions for an English club.
It’s not the first time Salah has etched his name in Liverpool’s history book. For the record, he is Liverpool’s all-time scorer in the Premier League with 144 goals, he is the first Liverpool player to score over 20 goals in his first three seasons, and the first African to net 30 or more Premier League goals in a season.
There are loads, but it goes to show what an unbelievable impact Salah has made since joining the club in 2017 from AS Roma. Liverpool fans adore him, and Jurgen Klopp rightly hails him as a “world class” player.
In fact, Klopp has noticed a change in Salah’s game. He is not that super-fast winger anymore, but he is still a “threat” for any side in the world. He gets into a good scoring position and creates chances for others. He has become a solid team player. David Moyes was not wrong when he said last year that Liverpool are fortunate to have a player like Salah whom he described as phenomenal.
“He has been the man for us for a long time now,” the Liverpool manager said, as quoted by The Guardian. “But he is growing in the role he has for us in football and maybe in general to show that on top level it is nice to enjoy the moment and then you go again. That is what he is doing.
“The young Mo was a super-fast player who could run in behind and play a role together with [Edin] Dzeko [at Roma]. From the first day here he had to do different things, he adapted extremely well, but the playmaker in that front row was probably more Bobby Firmino and you don’t need then two players who are deeper.
“Now it is slightly different – especially when Darwin is playing we have another speed player up there – so that changed Mo’s position. He is smart enough to adapt to all these things and there has been a massive development since he arrived. He was, in all phases, world-class and that is probably the best thing you can say about a player.
“With Mo it is clear he understands the spaces much better, he knows how players react around him and, if he cannot score, he can still be a threat for us. Being constantly a threat is as important for us because that really opens up spaces for all the other boys. I cannot compare Mo to other 30-year-olds because I don’t think biologically he is!”
The big question now lies in what the future holds for Salah. The 31-year-old has a contract at the club until 2025 and ideally Liverpool would love to keep him at Anfield forever.
However, there is also a threat from clubs in the Middle East who are looking to sign players at a high price. Liverpool fought hard to keep Salah out of their clutch last summer, but they may struggle to do so next summer if they come up with a ridiculous bid.
Every player has a price and chances are high that Liverpool could look to cash in on him. Right now, that should not concern anyone. Salah is enjoying his football at Liverpool and long it may continue.
