Mohamed Salah set to leave Liverpool with an all-time legacy

A farewell framed by greatness

Mohamed Salah is set to leave Liverpool this summer, and the scale of what he leaves behind is difficult to overstate. Over years of elite performance, he has become one of the greatest players to represent the club and one of the Premier League’s defining figures of the modern era. His reputation is supported by extraordinary statistics, but his impact at Anfield has also lived in moments, emotions and the sense of inevitability that followed him whenever Liverpool needed a decisive contribution.

Supporters have long treated him as a symbol of the club’s recent success, a status reflected in the nickname that followed him around the stadium: the “Egyptian King”. As his Liverpool career moves towards its conclusion, the discussion is no longer about whether he belongs among the club’s greats, but where exactly he sits in that company.

The transfer that reshaped Liverpool’s attack

Salah joined Liverpool from AS Roma on 23 June 2017 for a fee of £34m. With hindsight, that price now looks astonishingly low for what followed. Liverpool did not merely sign a high-level forward; they acquired a player who would redefine their attacking ceiling across multiple seasons, turning big matches into personal stages and delivering output that consistently matched the best in the game.

His path to Anfield also carried an important twist. Like Kevin de Bruyne—another player who would later become a Premier League great—Salah had previously been at Chelsea without establishing himself as a central figure. At Chelsea, he scored two goals in 19 appearances, making only 10 starts. Earlier still, he had chosen Chelsea over Liverpool when leaving Basel in January 2014. His most notable memory of Anfield from that period came in April 2014, when he started for Jose Mourinho’s side in a 2-0 win. That match is remembered for Steven Gerrard’s slip and a result that pushed the title towards Manchester City.

When Salah returned to Anfield as a Liverpool player, the story changed completely. What had once been a stadium associated with a fleeting Chelsea chapter became the place where he built a legacy.

From a “slow burner” to the finished article

Salah’s rise was not described as instant from the beginning of his career. At Basel, he was viewed as a talent still taking shape. Coach Murat Yakin offered a telling line after Salah scored in Basel’s 2013 Europa League quarter-final win against Tottenham, saying: “If Mohamed could score as well, he would not be here any more.”

After leaving Chelsea, Salah’s development accelerated rapidly. A loan at Fiorentina was followed by a superb spell at AS Roma. By the time Liverpool signed him, he arrived as a more complete attacker—though it remains unlikely that even Jurgen Klopp could have predicted quite how decisive he would become in England.

The first Liverpool goal and the start of an era

Salah’s Liverpool career began with a goal that was not especially glamorous: a scruffy, bundled effort from on the goalline in a 3-3 draw at Watford on the opening day of his first season. Yet it proved symbolic in its own way. From that point, he never stopped scoring, and Liverpool’s attack evolved around his reliability and threat.

As he prepares to leave, his totals place him among Liverpool’s most prolific scorers. He has scored 255 goals in 435 games for the club, making him third on Liverpool’s all-time list, behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt. Those numbers alone would secure his place in club history, but they are only one part of his overall influence.

Premier League production that stands alone

In Premier League terms, Salah’s Liverpool record is equally striking. He has made 310 league appearances for the club, scoring 189 goals and providing 92 assists. That combined figure of 281 goal contributions is the most for one club in Premier League history, five more than Wayne Rooney’s total for Manchester United.

The blend of goals and assists also captures an important balance in his game. Salah possessed the ruthless edge associated with elite scorers, but his assist numbers underline that he was not only a finisher. He was also a consistent creator and a player capable of serving the wider needs of the team in addition to his own scoring targets.

A debut season of brilliance—and heartbreak in Kiev

Salah set the tone immediately in his first season at Anfield. Across 52 appearances, he scored 44 goals and added 14 assists, a remarkable return that established him as one of the league’s most feared attackers. That campaign, however, ended in disappointment on the biggest stage. In the Champions League final against Real Madrid in Kiev, he suffered a shoulder injury after a challenge by defender Sergio Ramos. Salah lasted only 31 minutes of a 3-1 defeat, leaving the pitch in tears.

It was a painful moment not only for him but for Liverpool, as the final slipped away without their key attacker. Yet his response to that setback would become part of the broader story of his Liverpool career: resilience, return, and renewed impact.

Redemption in Madrid and a trophy-laden spell

Salah did not have to wait long for Champions League final redemption. A year later, he scored an early penalty as Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid to lift the trophy. It was one of several major honours collected during his time at Anfield, as he helped Liverpool add the Champions League, two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup to the club’s honours board.

These trophies provide the team context to his individual brilliance. Salah’s Liverpool years were not simply about personal milestones; they were also a period in which the club returned to the summit domestically and in Europe, with Salah repeatedly central to the decisive moments.

The forward line that defined a peak Klopp era

At Liverpool’s attacking peak under Klopp, Salah formed one part of a front three that was considered among the most potent in world football. Alongside Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, he operated primarily from the right, with Mane on the left and Firmino either leading the line or dropping deep to connect play.

The trio’s balance was striking: pressing, power, skill, pace and constant threat. While Salah and Mane were not always compatible as personalities, their on-pitch understanding was highly effective, supported by Firmino’s graceful, intelligent movement. Together, they gave Liverpool a fluid and devastating attacking identity, with Salah often the player who turned pressure into goals.

Consistency, durability and winning at scale

One of the most notable features of Salah’s Liverpool career has been his consistency and fitness. Even his lowest goals total in a full season before the current campaign would be considered outstanding by most standards. In 2019-20, he scored 23 goals as Liverpool won the title for the first time in 30 years.

The team success of those years is also reflected in results. Across his 310 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, his win rate stands at 63.9%. Across all 435 games, it is 62.7%. Those figures illustrate not only the strength of Liverpool during his tenure but also how frequently Salah’s presence coincided with positive outcomes.

“Liverpool 2.0” and a familiar match-winner

As Liverpool’s squad evolved, the club moved into what Klopp described as “Liverpool 2.0”. Key figures from earlier years—Mane, Firmino, captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho—departed. Yet even as the team was rebuilt, one element remained constant: Salah continued to deliver match-winning contributions.

His relationship with Klopp was not without tension, and he also experienced fraught moments with Klopp’s successor, Arne Slot. One flashpoint came in April 2024 during a 2-2 draw at London Stadium against West Ham United, when Salah had an angry touchline exchange as he waited to come on as a substitute and West Ham scored. Despite such moments, Klopp’s all-out attacking approach was widely seen as a perfect fit for Salah’s strengths, and their partnership produced sustained success.

A title push powered by Salah at his peak

After Klopp left, Salah produced a season that ranked alongside his finest. It was framed as a personal mission to bring the Premier League back to Anfield and secure a 20th title to equal Manchester United’s. In that campaign, he was described as being at the peak of his footballing and physical powers.

His output reflected that form: 34 goals in 50 starts in all competitions. Liverpool won the title with ease, and Salah’s influence helped ensure the transition from Klopp—iconic and fiercely animated—to Slot, more measured and strategic, was seamless in the Dutch coach’s first season.

A new contract, then a difficult turn

In April 2025, Liverpool fans celebrated when Salah signed a new two-year contract. At that moment, his future at the club appeared settled. The subsequent period, however, brought unexpected difficulty. It was described as a surprise that his form failed him this season, and the squad was also dealing with profound personal loss.

Liverpool were left heartbroken by the death of team-mate Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash in July. Much of the club’s grief remained private, and the full toll is unknown. Salah’s emotions, however, were visible in Liverpool’s opening Premier League game of the season against Bournemouth at Anfield.

After scoring Liverpool’s final goal in a 4-2 win, Salah used Jota’s trademark goal celebration. He was then moved to tears in front of the Kop as he applauded supporters after the final whistle while they sang Jota’s song.

Benchings, a public interview, and a partial reset

As Liverpool’s season progressed, Salah’s decline in form led to a notable shift: he was dropped to the bench for three successive games in six days. The situation escalated after he remained an unused observer during a 3-3 draw against Leeds United on 6 December. In a rare interview with waiting journalists, Salah said he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and revealed that his relationship with Slot had broken down.

While the episode brought the heaviest criticism of his Liverpool time, matters were resolved enough for him to return quickly. He made an early substitute appearance against Brighton at Anfield the following weekend, and after a 2-0 win he tapped his heart in front of the Kop, appearing to respond to the support he received. Soon after, he departed for the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.

Even if his rehabilitation did not fully restore him to his previous level as an unstoppable force, the broader assessment of his Liverpool career remained intact.

What the numbers say—and what they cannot capture

Salah’s Liverpool story can be told through totals: 255 goals in 435 games, third on the club’s all-time scoring list; 189 Premier League goals and 92 assists for Liverpool; and a Premier League record 281 goal contributions for a single club. It can also be told through trophies: Champions League, two Premier League titles, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup.

But his legacy is also rooted in the less measurable elements: the sense of anticipation when he drove in from the right, the reliability of his finishing across seasons, and the way he remained central even as Liverpool’s squad and leadership changed. He delivered iconic highs, endured painful lows, and stayed at the heart of Liverpool’s modern identity for an extended period.

An enduring Liverpool legacy

As Salah prepares to depart, the conclusion drawn from his years at Anfield is straightforward. When the dust settles, it will be difficult to argue against the idea that he has been one of the greatest players ever to wear Liverpool’s red shirt. Any late-career turbulence, whether in form or in public disagreement, does not erase the defining body of work.

His time at Liverpool has combined elite production with major silverware and a sustained presence at the highest level of English football. In the club’s history and the Premier League’s recent era, Salah’s name is already fixed in the top tier—an iconic figure leaving with records, medals and memories that will last far beyond his final appearance.

Key milestones from Salah’s Liverpool spell

• Joined Liverpool from AS Roma on 23 June 2017 for £34m
• 255 goals in 435 games for Liverpool (third on the club’s all-time scorers list)
• Premier League record: 281 goal contributions for one club (189 goals, 92 assists)
• Major honours include the Champions League, two Premier League titles, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup
• Scored 44 goals and made 14 assists in his first Liverpool season
• Champions League final injury in Kiev (2018), then scored in the 2019 final win in Madrid