After bursting on the scene in 2017, Mo Salah has captured the hearts and minds of Merseyside with season upon season of impressive displays. With a Premier League and Champions League trophy already under his belt, what more does the Egyptian have to do to become Liverpool's best ever player? In my mind, he already is.
Before Steven Gerrard and Kenny Dalglish fans come jumping out the woodwork, let's get something straight. Despite popular belief, statistics and analytics are never the true measure of a player, especially when you're comparing players across three different eras of football. If they were, Kenny Dalglish would go down as one of the best players in football history, with Gerrard and Salah acting as a footnote in Liverpool's success.
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| Kenny Dalglish - Photo Credit: liverpoolfc.com |
However, since the debut of the Premier League in 1992, the quality and style of play has improved significantly. Liverpool's five consecutive title wins from 1978-1986 remains inconceivable to the teams of today, meaning any accomplishments that players achieve in this era of football, hold significantly more weight.
Not only has Salah flourished in this environment, but he has dominated.
Since 2017, the Egyptian has scored 107 goals in 167 Premier League appearances for the Reds, making him the highest scoring African player in the leagues history. He's been the corner stone of Liverpool's success in the Premier League and in Europe and his start to the 2021 campaign puts him in conversation for next years Ballon d'Or.
Despite his career-long stint at Anfield, these are facts that Steven Gerrard just can't match. In over 500 league appearances for Liverpool, Gerrard scored 120 goals, distributed 92 assists and delivered Liverpool a memorable Champions League title in 2005. However, when these achievements are set besides Mo Salah, who has made 337 less appearances than the Merseyside native, it really doesn't become much of an argument.
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| Steven Gerrard - Photo Credit: liverpoolfc.com |
Of course, other arguments could be made for Mo Salah's success. He is surrounded by some of the best players in Europe, in a team constructed by one of the best managers in Premier League history in Jürgen Klopp. However, like I said before, football isn't all about stats. Since Salah first arrived in Liverpool, hate crimes in the Merseyside area have dropped by 19% and all anti-Muslim comments online have reduced by over 50%.
It's no question that Mo Salah's continuous displays of football wizardry have landed Liverpool in the position they're in today, and his very presence has changed the fabric of the local community. In his 5 short seasons with Liverpool, Mo Salah has brought nothing but joy to the people of Merseyside and if his current form continues, I don't see how he won't have his name on every piece of available silverware by the seasons end.
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| Mo Salah - Photo Credit: liverpoolfc.com |
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