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When Mohamed Salah was preparing to leave Liverpool’s dressing room after their recent friendly win over Sevilla, word reached him that there was an audience waiting for him in the corridor outside.
A group of Sevilla’s players had congregated in the hope of landing a precious memento from their trip to Anfield — the Egyptian’s No 11 shirt.
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Rather than having to pick one of them and disappoint the rest, Salah decided to sneak out via the room where Arne Slot’s players have their post-match meal. He proved as elusive off the pitch for the Spanish visitors as he did on it.
The anecdote is a reminder of Salah’s status as a global icon and how widely he’s revered.
Towards the end of last season, debate raged over whether he was a fading force as the days ticked down to him turning 32 in June.
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It was fuelled by a poor return of just three goals in his last 11 appearances of Jurgen Klopp’s reign, as Liverpool’s treble challenge wilted. There was the very public spat with Klopp on the touchline at West Ham United in late April, followed by his headline-grabbing message to the waiting media immediately after that game: “There’s going to be fire today if I speak.”
Back then, Salah cut a frustrated figure. A player famed for his durability as well as his prolific goal-scoring had damaged a hamstring playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in January before breaking down again on his return to club action a month later. It meant he missed the Carabao Cup final triumph at Wembley.
Salah scores for Liverpool against Ipswich on Saturday (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
He couldn’t regain either his rhythm or confidence on the run-in and didn’t take kindly to being relegated to bench duty.
The contrast between then and now is stark.
While many of his team-mates were on duty at Euro 2024 or the Copa America this summer, Salah got an extended break. The benefits of that were clear for all to see on his first day of pre-season training at Kirkby. He topped the charts in the fitness testing and hasn’t looked back since.
How Salah has embraced the start of a new era at Liverpool. Not only has he set the standards in training daily but he’s helped create a positive environment for new head coach Slot with his force of personality. Staff have been struck by his happy demeanour and his desire to provide support and advice to the youngsters in the squad.
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Liverpool had a coffee bar built just inside the players’ entrance at Kirkby this summer to encourage them to socialise together. Salah is one of the regulars, spending time with the likes of Kostas Tsimikas, Dominik Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Having looked so fit and sharp during the warm-up friendlies, it was no surprise that Salah proved so influential as Liverpool began their Premier League season with a 2-0 away win against promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday.
After laying on the first goal for Diogo Jota, Salah marked his 350th appearance for Liverpool by wrapping up the points. He also set a new record of nine Premier League goals on the opening weekend of a season — taking him clear of Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer.
“Mo was fantastic,” said left-back Andy Robertson. “Every year, he comes back in even better shape than he was the season before. He was one of the players who had a longer summer, which was hugely beneficial to him. He’s managed to get a full pre-season under his belt and looks so good.
“I thought he was excellent (against Ipswich), especially in the second half when he really carried us over the line to get the three points.”
Salah is the only Liverpool player to score more than 20 goals for the club in seven successive seasons but the burning question is whether his eighth year at Anfield will also be his last. His current £350,000 per week contract expires next summer and so far there’s no sign of a new one being offered.
It’s well known that Liverpool’s owners are cautious about giving lucrative extensions to players in their thirties but Salah simply isn’t your typical 32-year-old. He’s a machine. Having temporarily malfunctioned in the spring, he is now firing on all cylinders once again. “I see what he does to keep his body as it is to be ready to play every game, so I think there are many more years inside of him to play,” admitted Slot at Portman Road.
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Of course, it’s not simply Liverpool’s decision whether Salah stays beyond this season. Significantly, there’s been no hint of irritation from the player’s camp over entering his contract’s final year.
It may well suit him to sit tight until later in the season and consider his options in the knowledge that, as a free agent in summer 2025, he would be able to bank eye-watering riches. Interest from the Saudi Pro League remains strong.
Salah’s contract expires next summer (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
But is he really going to be ready to turn his back on elite-level football when he’s still rewriting the record books? Liverpool should be doing everything they possibly can to nail him down for another two or three years.
Salah sits fifth in the club’s all-time goalscoring list with 212 but he’s closing in on some more illustrious names. He’s now only 16 behind Billy Liddell in fourth and 29 adrift of third-placed Gordon Hodgson.
“Mo does everything right. He’s a model professional and someone everyone looks up to,” added Robertson. “He leaves no stone unturned and that’s why he’s still in incredible shape at the age he’s at. Long may that continue.
“Hopefully he keeps playing the way he did against Ipswich. He’s started the season really well. If our main man is playing like that, then it’s obviously going to help the team. Hopefully, it’s the first of many goals for us this season.”
Having suffered at the hands of Salah in the second half, Ipswich full-back Leif Davis at least had the consolation of taking home his No 11 shirt — a memento of a day when the Egyptian signalled to the Premier League that he is back in business.
GO DEEPERWhy Guardiola, Maresca and Salah love chess: Space, patterns and 'controlling the centre'(Top photo: Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
James Pearce joins the Athletic after 14 years working for the Liverpool Echo. The dad-of-two has spent the past decade covering the fortunes of Liverpool FC across the globe to give fans the inside track on the Reds from the dressing room to the boardroom. Follow James on Twitter @JamesPearceLFC
