Mohamed Salah faces fierce competition (Picture: Getty/Metro)
And just like that, one of the greatest Premier League careers begins its final chapter.
After nine record-breaking years and 255 goals on Merseyside, Mohamed Salah on Tuesday announced that this will be his last season at Liverpool.
Signed from Roma initially as a rotation option with Sadio Mane in 2017, Salah has gone on to become one of Liverpool’s best-ever players, helping the club win eight major trophies, including two league titles.
But after a disappointing season by his own lofty standards – the Egyptian has scored five goals in 22 league games this campaign – Salah is now set to look for a new club at the end of the season.
With his departure now confirmed, discussion will inevitably turn to Salah’s legacy in the English top-flight and where he ranks amongst the pantheon of great players.
Does he make Metro’s all-time Premier League XI? Let’s find out…
Can CR7 time at United rival Salah’s record?
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Mohamed Salah lifted the Champions League with Liverpool (Picture: Getty)
While most positions are stacked for options when it comes to an all-time XI, the Premier League has a somewhat sparse shortlist when it comes to options on the right wing.
Over on the opposite flank, Thierry Henry, Ryan Giggs, Eden Hazard, Robert Pires and Gareth Bale are just some of the options to consider.
But on the right wing, Salah has less competition. David Beckham will often get namechecked for his trophy-laden spell at Manchester United, but the former England captain doesn’t quite have the cold, hard numbers to rival Salah.
Perhaps Salah’s only true competition, therefore, is the man who inherited the number seven shirt from Beckham at United: a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or at Manchester Unitd (Picture: Getty)
The Portuguese forward spent six seasons at United in his first spell at Old Trafford, scoring 118 goals in 292 games in all competitions. Joining as a raw youngster from Sporting CP, he left as the most expensive player on the planet and a Ballon d’Or winner after helping United win the double in 2007/08.
But while Ronaldo went on to cement his legacy as one of the game’s greatest-ever players at Real Madrid, Salah’s time at Liverpool eclipses what the Portuguese great has managed to accomplish at Old Trafford.
Even accounting for Salah’s longer spell in the English top-flight, the Egyptian forward’s goals, assists, and chances created per 90 minutes all exceed the levels that Ronaldo reached during his two spells with the Red Devils.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, former Reds defender Jamie Carragher argued as much, stating: ‘In the pantheon of overseas attacking players to have excelled in England, only Thierry Henry eclipses Salah’s output and consistency.
‘While many will argue the merits of players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp or Eric Cantona, none of them produced the same devastating numbers as consistently, season-after-season, as the Egyptian.
‘Ronaldo’s time at Manchester United, both initially and upon his return, was either side of his absolute, Real Madrid-peak years. Salah edges ahead of him when judging strictly on Premier League performance and impact.’
Is Salah the best-ever Premier League forward?
Alan Shearer is the league’s record goalscorer (Picture: Getty)
And when it comes to forwards as a whole, there is an argument to suggest that Salah is the best the league has ever seen.
Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney all sit above when it comes to goals, but Salah’s fourth-place standing is arguably more impressive as a wide forward rather than an out-and-out striker.
Thierry Henry’s breathtaking ability in Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side saw him become the league’s poster boy when it exploded in the early 2000s.
But what Salah may lack in swagger, he has more than made up for in ruthless efficiency.
In his first campaign, the Egyptian scored a remarkable 44 goals in 52 games and has never dipped below 23 goals in all competitions so far in his Liverpool career.
Those statistics are a measure of his ridiculous consistency but also availability: Salah’s absence against Brighton last weekend was just the ninth game missed due to injury during his nine years at the club.
Combine that with his trophy haul, and the case is hard to ignore. The 33-year-old has won everything there is to win at Liverpool and is the only player to win both the PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards three times.
That takes some beating.
So, pick all the players you want around him, but in an all-time Premier League XI, the Egyptian King more than deserves his place.
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