For much of the Arab world, Mohamed Salah has never been merely a footballer. Since his arrival at Liverpool in 2017, he has functioned as something rarer: visible proof, at the highest level of European football, that an Arab Muslim man could not only compete but define an era. His announcement last week that he will leave Anfield at the end of this season is, in that sense, as much a cultural moment as a sporting one.
The sporting case, though, stands on its own. Salah, 33, started his senior career in 2010 at Egyptian club Al-Mokawloon, aged 17. He soon became a regular at the club and came on to the radar of Swiss club Basel, who signed him in 2012 as a replacement for Xherdan Shaqiri. Though he struggled initially, his performances when he settled earned him a £11 million move to Chelsea in 2014. Liverpool had been interested, but were beaten to his signature by the London club. He spent two seasons contracted to Chelsea, while being loaned out to Fiorentina and Roma. The club from Rome then saved him from London in a deal worth €15 million. After a stellar season, the Reds came calling again. This time, they got their man for a then club record fee of £36.5 million, rising to £43 million (it is safe to assume all the add-ons were met).
In his first season at Anfield, he broke the Premier League’s record for most goals in a 38-game season by netting 32 times. There was no looking back, till the downturn in fortunes this season. Despite his final season for Liverpool not being his best, there is no questioning his legacy. Salah is the all-time leading foreign goalscorer in the Premier League’s history (that is, since 1992) with 191 goals (189 for Liverpool and two for Chelsea). His 281 goal contributions for Liverpool in the Premier League—189 goals and 92 assists (level with Steven Gerrard for Liverpool’s Premier League assist record)—are the most any player has recorded for a single club in the division's history. He has won four Golden Boots—the same as Thierry Henry. In 2024-25, he had 29 goals and 18 assists—the 47 goal involvements is the highest in a 38-game Premier League season.
Put simply: no right-winger in the history of the Premier League has numbers like these, sustained across eight seasons. The statistics are not a distortion—Salah is the best right-winger during the Premier League era. That is a conversation that includes the likes of Sir David Beckham, Liverpool superstar Steve McManaman, Sweden’s answer to Beckham, Freddie Ljungberg (in terms of both ability and haircuts), who spent 10 years in the league, and Cristiano Ronaldo—the greatest player to ever grace the Premier League, but only second best from the right-wing position.
Salah will also leave as six-time European champions Liverpool’s third highest goalscorer in all competitions (currently on 255 goals) behind Ian Rush (346 goals; 1980-1987 and 1988-1996) and Roger Hunt (285; 1958-1969), with two Premier Leagues, one Champions League, one FA Cup and two League Cups.
As for what comes next: Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia is reported as a likely destination, with the MLS also under consideration. If he goes to the Saudi Pro League, his arrival will be different from the marquee signings so far. Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were visiting the region at the end of their careers. Salah would be returning to a part of the world that has always considered him its own. And, for that very reason, the Saudi league cannot afford to miss out on him.
The Premier League, meanwhile, will file him where he belongs: At the top.
