“No one could’ve imagined it” – The story behind Mohamed Salah’s rise to Greatness | OneFootball

The Story Behind Mohamed Salah’s Rise to Greatness

From Didier Drogba to Victor Osimhen to Yaya Touré, we’ve seen quite a few African footballers leave their mark on European football in recent years. But perhaps no African has left a legacy in Europe quite as impressive as Mohamed Salah’s.

Born on June 15, 1992, in Nagrig, Basyoun, Egypt, Salah was 17 years old when he made his first-team debut for Al Mokawloon Al Arab, eventually working his way into a starting spot. However, the Port Said Stadium riot would cause the Egyptian Premier League to be suspended and prompted Salah to seek greener pastures. After scoring a brace for Egypt’s U-23s in a 4-3 friendly win against Basel, Salah made the move to the Swiss giants, where, after initially struggling to settle, he seamlessly filled Xherdan Shaqiri’s lofty shoes in attack.

Salah spurred Basel to the league title and the UEFA Europa League semifinals – only to lose to Chelsea – and made his presence felt against a number of veteran defenders such as Carlos García. Facing up against Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv in the UEFA Champions League qualifying round, Salah wreaked havoc against García’s side, scoring in the return leg to help them advance to the following round against Ludogorets, where he scored a first-leg brace. “At that time, you could tell that Salah was very good,” stated García in an exclusive Anfield Index interview. “But I think it’s fair to say that nobody could’ve imagined where he’d end up today.”

Photo: IMAGO

These promising displays would attract the attention of Chelsea, where he failed to carry over his momentum to English soil before leaving to Fiorentina a year later. Salah was able to get back to top form with La Viola before heading to Roma, where he fared even better and racked up an astonishing 34 goals and 21 assists in 83 appearances. After two years in the Italian capital, Salah decided to head back to England, joining Liverpool for an initial £36.5m fee that could rise to £43m. It wouldn’t take long for him to justify that club-record expenditure, setting the tone and helping the Reds shake off their serial loser tag and forge a reputation as one of Europe’s strongest sides under Jürgen Klopp.

Liverpool were already building a solid core with Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho, but it was evident that they needed an elite finisher in order to take the leap under Klopp – enter Salah. After scoring a record 36 goals in his debut campaign and winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award, Salah continued his phenomenal form at Anfield, shaking off the tears of his injury-riddled Champions League Final defeat and helping the Reds reconquer the Champions League. The following year, Salah guided Liverpool to their first-ever Premier League title as well as becoming the first Liverpool player in nearly two decades to score 20+ goals in three consecutive seasons since Michael Owen.

“We don’t have to talk about what Messi and Ronaldo have done for world football and their dominance, but right now, he [Salah] is the best,” stated Klopp of Salah’s performances. “I see him every day. There are people like Lewandowski and Ronaldo and Messi and Mbappé, but at this moment, for sure, he’s on top of that list.”

After a sensational start to the Klopp era, Liverpool regressed in the shadow of Manchester City’s all-encompassing domestic dominance, while they also lost to Real Madrid in the 2022 Champions League Final. But they never stopped challenging for silverware thanks to Salah’s continuously excellent finishing prowess in front of the net, with the Egyptian becoming the highest-scoring African in Premier League history (surpassing the 104 goals scored by Didier Drogba). And in 2024/25, he almost single-handedly put an end to City’s unprecedented dynasty with 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 appearances, adding another Premier League title to his growing trophy cabinet.

This season, however, it’s undeniable that the reigning Premier League Player of the Season has taken a step back in his development, and when Liverpool announced that they would be mutually parting ways in the summer, it seemed the writing was already on the wall. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop the millions of Liverpool fans all around the world from mourning the impending departure of the greatest player of the club’s past decade.

Liverpool’s title defense has gone up in smoke, with the Reds trailing Arsenal by 21 points with seven matches remaining. Nevertheless, they still find themselves with a fighting chance of ending the season with a double: Arne Slot’s side will travel to newly crowned EFL Cup champions Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinal before traveling to reigning Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarterfinal. Can Liverpool finally find some momentum during the home stretch of the campaign? If they are to do so, expect Salah to play a significant role.