How Mohamed Salah achieved immortality at Liverpool

Dominic KingSun, May 24, 2026 at 5:01 AM UTC

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Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool after nine years at the club

The journeys to Colle Bereto, a swish cafe in the centre of Florence, were always filled with chatter when Mohamed Salah was in the passenger seat, but one conversation has remained in Micah Richards’s mind. It is 11 years since it took place but, ahead of this momentous day, it must be recalled.

“We’d become friends, as we were the English speakers,” Richards begins. “There was me, Mo, Marcos Alonso, Mario Gómez and Milan Badelj. I was Mo’s driver. We’d go for coffee after training, we’d go out for dinner. I couldn’t believe Fiorentina had signed him because he was so good.

“I hated facing him in training. Dear me! I was always confident in my ability. I had strength and pace and, as a full-back, I was never worried about coming up against someone like Gareth Bale. But Mo was quick and nimble with the trickery to double bluff you. In those small-sided games, you’d think you had him cornered. But he’d drag you with him then chop back, quickly, inside to put you on your a---!

“Anyway, this day, we are in the car and I asked what had happened at Chelsea. He says, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll see me in the Premier League again. I’m going to play for Liverpool. It didn’t work out at Chelsea, but I think I’ll go to Liverpool. It’s a club I have a special feeling for.’ I couldn’t believe it. I thought he should be at Real Madrid, but Liverpool were always on his mind.”

There you have it. From Nagrig, the humble village in Egypt, halfway between Alexandria and Cairo, it was Salah’s destiny to play for Liverpool. The final chapter of his time at Anfield might not have played out as everyone envisaged but, like the tale Richards recounts, it doesn’t alter this remarkable story.

For Salah to have made it to this position, a goal machine who has trampled his way through record books, owes much to his astonishing mindset, extraordinary physical capacity and extravagant talent, but there are also several moments when the doors slid to take him down different paths.

Richards, for instance, would not have struck up a bond with him in Florence if things had gone well with Chelsea; Chelsea, meanwhile, would not have signed him had it not been for a staggering transfer gazump in January 2014 that left Liverpool speechless.

Liverpool were furious when Salah joined Chelsea - Darren Walsh/Getty Images

Would Salah have gone on to score 257 times, win the Premier League twice, conquer Europe and become a global icon with more than 100 million followers on social media had he joined Liverpool when it was originally envisaged 12 years ago?

Those around the club back then are adamant he was destined for the top. Liverpool’s scouting department – headed by Michael Edwards, Dave Fallows and Barry Hunter – had been tracking him while he was at Basel, and the reports they had received were consistently good.

So a delegation went to Stamford Bridge, on May 2, 2013, to watch him in person. Chelsea won 3-1 in the Europa League semi-final, Salah scored for Basel. The goal was nice, the kind of finish that became customary, but it was the all-round performance against Ashley Cole that really registered.

What Liverpool’s scouts saw that night propelled him to high on their wanted list. Salah had added the ability to cut inside from the right flank but there were new facets to his game. Cole was recognised as the best left-back in the world yet Salah, still only 20, had persistently made him uncomfortable.

Work began in earnest to secure his signature, scouting trips continued and it came to the point in January 2014, when Ian Ayre, the former chief executive, and Fallows, the then chief scout, flew out to Switzerland to do a £12m deal.

‘I can’t tell you how angry everyone was’

“What happened next was unbelievable,” recalls Ayre, who is now chief executive of Major League Soccer side Nashville. “We’d done all we had to do with Mo and his former agent [Sascha Empacher]. We’d agreed the wages, the fee and we’d had great discussions with Basel’s president, Bernhard Heusler.

“It had got to late in the afternoon, we finished what we had to do for the day. Dave and I went back to our hotel to have some dinner. There was no sign of a problem. I’d called Mike Gordon [Fenway Sports Group president] and said the last little things would be put to bed the next day.

“The following morning, and I’ll never forget this, I was in my room getting ready to go back to the stadium, brushing my teeth, when Dave rang me: ‘They have sold him to Chelsea – it’s in the news.’ I was gobsmacked. We called [Heusler] repeatedly, but he wouldn’t reply. We went back home, absolutely furious.

“They eventually got back to us and told us Chelsea had made an offer that they couldn’t refuse, but we weren’t even given a chance to negotiate. I can’t tell you how angry and devastated everyone was. I said to them: ‘Why did you not call us? We hadn’t even left the hotel!’

“There was a lot of talk back then about our ‘transfer committee’ and how it worked with signing players, but everyone wanted Mo: the owners, Brendan Rodgers [then manager], the scouts. We all felt it was a great decision, he fitted our profile perfectly and we were desperate to do it, but the rug was pulled from under us.”

Ayre adds: “It was later said to me the main reason Chelsea had taken him was so we couldn’t sign him. I was told José Mourinho was right behind the idea as he didn’t want Liverpool to have him. It all felt very weird because, honestly, there was never an indication, at any stage, that he was going to anyone else.”

They were furious but they weren’t put off. When he was moved from Chelsea to Florence, Edwards had specifically told his recruitment team to “keep on Salah” and there were special assignments to go and watch him in training camps for both Fiorentina and Roma.

The idea was to get a sense of what he was like around a group, how he behaved, the areas in which he could improve. He consistently scored highly; they got another chance to watch him closely when Liverpool played Roma in a pre-season friendly in St Louis in August 2016, and again he sparkled.

Salah impressed for Roma against Liverpool in 2016 - Jeff Curry/Getty Images

In the following campaign, 2016-17, Liverpool, with Jürgen Klopp now manager – had someone at every Serie A game Roma played to watch Salah. He scored 15 goals and made 11 assists, with the key night being against Juventus, who had just reached the Champions League final, on May 14, 2017.

Liverpool, who at the same time were watching Julian Brandt, knew they were not going to be alone in the Eternal City. Tottenham had gone to the Stadio Olimpico, as had Manchester United (Mourinho again), who wanted to make their presence felt; they all saw Salah inspire a 3-1 win.

When the delegation returned to Merseyside to meet Klopp and other members of the technical team back at Melwood, only two words were necessary: sign him.

Perhaps the groundwork laid in 2014 had played a part, but when Liverpool showed their hand, this time Salah grabbed hold. This was a club-record deal at the time, worth £36.9m, and a video diary of his signing day received 10 million hits on the official club website.

“I remember ringing Michael [Edwards] to congratulate him,” Ayre says. “They never stopped tracking him, even after he went to Chelsea. I grew up watching Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish, but Mo is in our top five players, ever.”

Yet it would be wrong to say excitement was universal among supporters, who were wary of him being a Chelsea reject. The fee was huge and there were many questions to answer but, within the building, there was total conviction Salah had arrived at the perfect club to settle some scores.

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“You always gauge people in early sessions and what I never forgot was the speed Mo had when he dribbled,” says Jordan Henderson, the captain who helped him integrate. “Usually a player slows down when they have a ball at their feet, but Mo had this ability to keep getting quicker. He was so sharp over the first few yards.

“He was a polite, humble lad but, when I think about it now, it was obvious you could sense he had a point to prove. He was on it from day one, always thinking about what he needed to do to keep getting better. Nothing phased him.”

Salah arrived at Liverpool with a point to prove - Andrew Powell/Getty Images

And nothing is more potent than when someone burns with a desire to prove a point. He scored on his debut at Watford, tapping in from close range and ending up in the net himself, but it was the way he went about things – aggression, speed and strength – that stood out to those around him.

“It was the start of an era in the Premier League, wasn’t it?” recalls Tom Cleverley, now Plymouth manager, who was in Watford’s midfield that afternoon. “What I will never forget is the feeling you got off him when you tackled him – his body was like rock.

“I remember games at Anfield and he’d be dribbling and you couldn’t get near him. It was the same with Sadio Mané, the power, balance and strength they had was phenomenal. We’d double up on him, but it still wouldn’t make a difference.

“I played with Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, the ones you knew could take a game away from the opposition in a second and Salah was like that, he’d destroy your plans. He made scoring 30-plus goals a season look easy and the hunger and desire he’s retained for a decade is exceptional.”

Focus on fitness

It is always the little things that make the biggest differences. Much has been discussed about Salah raising a question of standards recently, but a story about how he looked after himself gives you an idea of how driven he was to succeed.

Salah was so obsessed with having equal strength through his core, rather than having a naturally weaker side, that he worked with Conall Murtagh, Liverpool’s head of physical performance, on a programme to ensure he would be as proficient whether he was going left or right.

“He and Sadio were so focused,” Henderson adds. “I looked at what he was doing to recover and think if they were doing it, I had to do the same. Mo and Sadio started going swimming at midnight, at the training ground, after night games because every second counted.

“If they started recovery 12 hours early, they would be at a different level for the next session. It’s relentless when you play at this level, with games every three days, but things such as swimming really helped. It was the idea that every day you needed to go the extra mile.”

Salah was obsessed with having equal strength through his core - Michael Regan/Getty Images

The extra mile was where he took his club. Acres have been written on all those memorable performances and the days when Liverpool went gathering cups in May, but what defines Salah most of all is his ability to do it when it really mattered.

Greatness is achieved through numbers, but it is cemented by consistency and ruthlessness in key moments, delivering when it matters and carrying the burden of pressure. Salah never went missing and, for all that he has dipped this season, his presence will be missed when he moves on.

“I think back to the night we won the Champions League [against Tottenham in 2019] and his penalty in the first minute,” says Henderson, now of Sunday’s opponents Brentford. “As soon as he stepped up, I thought: ‘goal’ – everything he’d been through revolved around that moment.

“There were other goals he scored. The one against Chelsea [in March 2019] when he hit it with his left foot into the top bin, the dribble against Man City [October 2021]. Oh my God. He was like Luis Suárez, where he’d take your breath away in training and then he’d do it on the pitch for real.

“He showed what you had to do daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. I had – and have – a brilliant relationship with him. I know he said he wants me to get an ovation from the Kop, but I think he’s playing mind games! The day is all about him and Robbo [Andy Robertson]. That team was full of special players.”

Herein lies the point: Klopp’s era was exceptional, but Liverpool’s history is populated by giants, so for Salah, in nine years, to zoom into third place on the scoring charts is beyond comprehension. He is a once-in-a-generation talent who has been on the journey of a lifetime.

Salah’s most iconic momentsFirst goal (August 2017)

Salah scored his first goal in Liverpool red on his league debut in a 3-3 draw with Watford at Vicarage Road. He bundled home Roberto Firmino’s lob to put his new side 3-2 up just before the hour mark.

Puskas Award-winning goal (December 2017)

The Egyptian shrugged off Cuco Martina and danced past Idrissa Gana Gueye before sweeping home in stereotypical Salah-fashion to score a Puskas-winning goal in the 2017 Merseyside derby.

Champions League quarter-final (April 2018)

Salah scored in both legs as Liverpool beat Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate in the 2018 Champions League quarter-finals. They would go on to reach the final but lose to serial European winners Real Madrid.

Champions League triumph (June 2019)

After being forced off injured in the final the year prior, Salah finally got his hands on the Champions League trophy as he scored the opener in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Spurs in Madrid with a penalty.

Quickest player to reach 100 goals in Liverpool history (October 2020)

Salah became the quickest player to reach a century of Liverpool goals in his 159th game for the club. The strike came in a 2-2 draw with Everton as he lashed past Jordan Pickford.

Salah scored his 100th goal for Liverpool in a Merseyside derby - Catherine Ivill/Getty ImagesOld Trafford hat-trick (October 2021)

Salah became the first opposition player to score a Premier League hat-trick at Old Trafford when he put three fine finishes past David de Gea in 2021. Liverpool were 5-0 victors at their rivals’ home this time round.

Fastest Champions League hat-trick (October 2022)

After coming off the bench, Salah struck three times within six minutes at Ibrox to complete the fastest Champions League hat-trick in a 7-1 Liverpool riot.

Premier League champion (April 2025)

Salah got his hands on a second Premier League title with a 5-1 win over Spurs at Anfield. The winger’s crowning moment came as he fired past Guglielmo Vicario before taking an iconic selfie with the Kop.

Salah takes a selfie with the Kop - Carl Recine/Getty ImagesMost goal contributions in a Premier League season (May 2025)

A strike in the final game of his second title-winning season against Crystal Palace helped Salah break another record. It was his 47th goal contribution in a season where he netted 29 goals and assisted 18 times, equalling Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s record. However, it was made more impressive with the Egyptian doing it in a 38-game season, compared to a 42-match season.

250th Liverpool goal (November 2025)

Despite a poor start to the season, Salah hit his 250th Liverpool goal, joining Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players to reach that landmark. He capitalised on an Emiliano Martínez error to roll the ball home against Aston Villa.

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Source: “AOL Sports”