The Egyptian King says goodbye

Soccer player Mohamed Salah announced he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season with only eight games left in the season. Since he joined the Reds nearly 10 years ago, the Egyptian King has said goodbye. 

Mohamed Salah is one of, if not the best players to ever play for Liverpool. From starting his career in his homeland of Egypt, to moving around Europe repeatedly and achieving immortal status for club and country, Salah is one of the best stories in the sport.

When he was only a teenager, he had to miss school to make a three-hour journey to training for his youth team. Only a year later, he was put into the first team at only 15 years old, and made his debut a few years later. 

Salah got a move to Europe in 2012, playing for Basel in the Swiss Super League, replacing the big boots of Xherdan Shaqiri, who had just left for Bavarian giant Bayern Munich. 

During his two seasons in Switzerland, Salah scored 20 goals in 79 games. On the surface, not eye-scratching numbers, but still impressive considering his impact in the Europa League against Premier League clubs. 

Those two seasons earned him another move to Chelsea, where Salah couldn’t adjust to the pace and technical level of the Premier League. From there, he was loaned out to Italian clubs Fiorentina and Roma, where he impressed. Salah scored 15 goals in his loan season, then 19 the next season in 83 games, playing alongside his childhood idol, Francesco Totti. 

This is when Liverpool came calling. Since Salah had spent time in Italy, English clubs and fans labeled Salah as a flop, unable to keep up with the English game. 

Liverpool didn’t seem to particularly care as they paid $48 million for Salah, making him the club’s most expensive transfer. No one seemed to understand the transfer until the season ended, when Salah scored 44 goals for Liverpool in 52 games. 

This awarded him the Premier League Golden Boot for most goals with 32 in 38 matches, the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season and sixth in the Ballon D’or ranking. 

Salah and Liverpool also saw huge success in the UEFA Champions League, where Salah scored 10 goals in the campaign behind only Cristiano Ronaldo with 15. Liverpool made it to the final but were defeated by Real Madrid. Salah was forced to leave the game early with a shoulder injury, which most definitely changed the course of the match. 

 His achievement that may stand above all that season was punching Egypt’s ticket to the 2018 World Cup for only the third time ever. Salah and Egypt qualified for this summer’s edition, which will likely be Salah’s last time with the Pharaohs. 

The following season, Liverpool made it back to the Champions League final, beating Tottenham, making Salah a European champion. 

Still, there was an elusive trophy for Liverpool, the Premier League Title. The last time the Reds won the league was in 1990, when it was called the first division. 

In the 2019-20 season, Salah netted 19 goals as Liverpool won the Premier League for the first time, losing only three games, clinching the title with seven games remaining. 

For years to come, Liverpool was a dominant force in English and European Football, consistently challenging for the title and making deep runs in the Champions League. 

Salah won another golden boot in the 2021-22 season, scoring 23 goals and finishing runner up to Manchester City, even though their point total would’ve won the league in almost any other season. 

In the 2024-25 season, Salah scored 29 goals, his most successful and impactful season with Liverpool since joining. Despite a new manager, Arne Slot, Liverpool won the Premier League convincingly, adding to Salah’s accolades. 

By the end of his career, Salah will be third on Liverpool’s all time scoring list. Considering he has played for the club for less than a decade, Mo Salah is one of, if not the greatest, Liverpool player of all time. 

What Salah did on the field is one thing, but his effect off it is another. Salah is a devout Muslim, and a UCLA study found that Muslim hate crimes dropped 16% in the Liverpool area after Salah arrived.

Very few athletes have been able to replicate what Salah has done, and with murals of him all around Anfield, even when Salah leaves this summer, his kingdom will still remain.