"Salah, Salah, Salah - the Egyptian King!"
A chorus so often heard within the stands of Anfield, one of Europe's most esteemed stadiums that has seen many great players come and go.
Steven Gerrard, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, John Barnes and Alan Hansen are just some of the legends that have graced Merseyside.
But there weren't many quite like Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool's Pharaoh
The Egyptian's impact on not just the club, but Liverpool as a city cannot be understated. Footballing-wise, he (alongside many others) brought Liverpool back to the pinnacle of club football, and helped reduce islamaphobia in the city along the way.
By the end of his reign, Salah had won two Premier Leagues, one Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, the FA Cup and a pair of League Cups.
Individually, he won:
4x Premier League Golden Boot (2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2024–25)
3x PFA Players' Player of the Year (2017–18, 2021–22, 2024–25)
3x FWA Footballer of the Year (2017–18, 2021–22, 2024–25)
2x Premier League Player of the Season (2017–18, 2024–25)
2x Premier League Playmaker of the Season (2021–22, 2024–25)
2x CAF African Footballer of the Year (2017, 2018)
1x FIFA Puskás Award (2018)
And yet, it still feels like he wasn't as revered as he deserved to be.
Liverpool's former number 11 was looked over in several Balon D'Or seasons (2018-19, 2021-22 and 2024-25 stand out), and missed out on several Premier Leagues by the finest of margins. Reaching three Champions League finals is no easy feat either.
Salah's last dance
It was easy to see for many that what turned out to be his final season for Liverpool was not his best.
The season was rocked by the tragic death of Diogo Jota last summer, and it cannot be understated just how much this impacted the Egyptian.
I am truly lost for words. Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break. Team mates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go… pic.twitter.com/TIEzpjOABr
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) July 4, 2025
Liverpool opened their 2025/26 Premier League campaign at Anfield with a thrilling4–2 victoryover Andoni Iraola's AFC Bournemouth.
The Reds initially stormed into a 2–0 lead through a debut goal from Hugo Ekitiké and a clinical finish by Cody Gakpo.However, Iraola’s resilient Bournemouth side rallied back in the second half, with Antoine Semenyo scoring a dramatic brace to bring the scoreline to 2–2.
Federico Chiesa restored the lead with a sublime volley for his first Premier League. Mohamed Salah sealed the 4–2 win on a counter-attack.
Despite the thrilling six-goal opener, the match ended on a poignant note.As the final whistle blew, Mohamed Salah stood in front of the Kop in tears, joining thousands of supporters inside Anfield in singing the chant dedicated to the late Diogo Jota.The victory served as both a dramatic start to the season and a touching tribute to their former teammate.
And then came the falling out with former head coach Arne Slot In December of last year the legendary winger had been benched for three straight matches, and then claimed his relationship with Slot had completely broken down.
The footballing world was split - Salah's decline was clear to see, purely in how he was playing and also the stats had backed it up, but can you really drop your best player?
From August to December 2024, Salah had 30 G/A - but between August to December 2025 he only had seven.
Was this by design? Salah was deployed much further out wide last season than he was in 2024/25 - and he was much deeper too. The attacker was much more impactful when closer to the box and causing havoc for defenses, not isolated on the wing.
And was the tactical tweak a preparation of a 'passing of the mantle' of sorts? The big money moves for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz suggests so.
Was Salah pushed out the door?
After nine years at the Reds and achieving mythical status amongst fans and pundits alike, Salah was almost untouchable. Undroppable.
And while there is a degree of truth to the sentiment that no player is bigger than the club, it was almost just as true that Liverpool perform better with Salah on the pitch.
Which is why it was so shocking to see the 34-year-old be an unused substitute during a tumultuous period for the club. Normally, if anyone could drag the club through a tough period, it would be him.
Yet he wasn't trusted to do so. The architect of some of Liverpool's most iconic moments in recent history was cast aside, even more so at the end of the season.
For a player who was outspoken in wider football issues, as well as an upholder of standards within the club, this didn't feel like the treatment he deserved.
In what was a very meagre and underwhelming goodbye to not only him, but Andy Robertson as well, neither were allowed to speak to the fans despite the emotional nature of the day.
What should have been a celebration of two exceptional careers in Liverpool red, were instead reduced to a simple "thanks, see you later".
Spending 10 years at a football club is usually 'rewarded' with a testimonial - while for many this may be trivial, both Robertson and Salah merited having their careers celebrated with fans, old teammates and other Liverpool legends alike.
The end of the story
With Salah's move to Trabzonspor now finalised, there is a tinge of sadness that we won't get to see the Salah we know and love feature under Iraola. As we saw during the World Cup, Salah still has plenty to give, and is as creative as ever.
Featuring as an attacking central midfielder in three of Egypt's six World Cup games, Salah shone in a deeper role, ending his tournament with one goal and two assists.
The Egyptian could have moved into a more central role, either as a sole 10, or even alongside Wirtz as two 10s behind Isak. Both are also comfortable drifting wide, so it it's likely this could have worked.
What a combination that could have been.
If the club hadn't replaced Slot very last minute, there is a large chance that Salah would have featured in Iraola's plans for the season ahead - in some way, shape or form. And it's the least he deserved.
Instead, we will have to watch him from afar as he joins Turkey's fourth biggest club - not the place many would have imagined he'd end up. Perhaps even Salah himself.
Trabzonspor's new star will now look to bring the Turkish club to the Champions League and back to competing within Turkish football.
It remains to be seen the wider ramifications of the Egyptian's departure, how Liverpool adapt to life without their talisman and if Salah will be able to light up the Turkish league.
But if this turns out to be his last season in professional football, not retiring at Liverpool may be a sad end to what was a magical career.
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