‘One of the greatest players ever to pull on a red shirt’published at 09:26 GMT
Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer
There was rejoicing among Liverpool fans when Mohamed Salah signed a new two-year contract in April 2025.
The future seemed set fair.
It was, then, a surprise how Salah’s form failed him this season, although – like the rest of the club and its supporters – he was left heartbroken by the death of much-loved team-mate Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash in July.
Much of Liverpool’s grief remained private, so the full toll this took is unknown, but Salah showed his emotions in the opening Premier League game of the season against Bournemouth at Anfield.
Salah used Jota’s trademark goal celebration after scoring Liverpool’s final goal in a 4-2 win, then was moved to tears in front of the Kop as he applauded fans following the final whistle when they sang the Portuguese’s song.
The subsequent decline in his form resulted in him being dropped to the bench for three successive games in six days, leading to his incendiary interview after he sat and watched a 3-3 draw against Leeds United on 6 December.
Salah’s public spat with Slot and his denunciation of the club brought the heaviest criticism of his time at Liverpool, but any tarnishing was surely temporary as he was soon rehabilitated – albeit not as the force he once was.
The legacy will always be untarnished and intact.
When the dust settles, no-one could argue against the simple fact that Mohamed Salah has been one of the greatest players ever to pull on a red shirt.
Image source, Getty Images
