They think it’s all Mo-ver. It probably is now.
To the surprise of nobody, Mohamed Salah was yet again the catalyst for another big Liverpool win as Arne Slot’s side put Manchester City to the sword in their own backyard. That 2-0 triumph means they are now 11 points clear of Arsenal at the Premier League summit and the red-hot favourites to clinch a 20th domestic title come May.
With another two goal contributions – he also teed up Dominik Szoboszlai for Liverpool’s second – Salah has become the first player to ever be involved in more than 40 goals across two separate seasons in Premier League history. But after leaving more top-flight records trailing in his wake and moving up to joint-third in the Liverpool all-time scoring charts, where does the Egyptian superstar rank among the Premier League’s all-time pantheon of greats?
We put that question to the Mirror Football team to find out their verdict off the back of this weekend’s results…
Mike Walters
Great rhetorical questions of our time, pick your own batting order: Is Vladimir Putin a bad man for invading Ukraine? Are sharks strong swimmers? And is Mo Salah one of English football’s all-time greats?
We should not restrict that last one to the Premier League era, because football was not invented by Richard Keys and Andy Gray in 1992 and Liverpool were blessed with some extraordinary talents before Salah.
But, yes, the Egyptian king is right up there with the best of them – Kenny Dalglish and John Barnes at Anfield, Dennis Bergkamp in his pomp at Arsenal around 1997, Gianfranco Zola at Chelsea, Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney in the days when Manchester United were any good, and Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero at Manchester City would be among my picks.
When Salah scored on his Liverpool debut in a 3-3 draw at Watford in August 2017, after barely getting a look-in at Chelsea and rebooting his career at Roma, nobody could have dreamed there would be another 230 goals to follow in the next seven-and-a-half years.
That’s roughly 30 goals per season on average, an astonishing strike rate to sustain over such a long period. At a single club, only Aguero or Harry Kane can seriously rival Salah’s numbers when the sample is measured across multiple years.
Spoiler alert: I had Liverpool down to win the title, and Salah to win the Golden Boot, last season, so it looks like I was only 12 months late. British Rail would be proud of such a near-miss with punctuality.
Nathan Ridley
Mo Salah is a phenomenon. No doubt.
His consistency and quality makes him one of the two greatest wingers we’ve seen in the Premier League and enough to make into what would be my all-time XI. That being said, he’d only just sneak into my top five players overall.
Based on the highest of heights, a young Cristiano Ronaldo reached a level that, in my opinion, hasn’t been matched – he won the Ballon d’Or and three Premier League titles in a row after all. Alan Shearer can’t be disregarded for his sheet amount of goals, nor can Wayne Rooney.
Then, of course, there’s Thierry Henry, who can’t seriously be left out. Ryan Giggs’ medal count automatically puts him in the conversation and I’d have Kevin De Bruyne in the debate, too.
But after watching Salah this season, I think he pips them both if we’re talking purely Premier League and not all competitions or international level. A second title is on the horizon, and if Salah signs a new contract and maintains this level of output, he might well move further up that list.
Jeremy Cross
Mo Salah is the greatest player of his generation in the Premier League era.
But to suggest he’s the best of all time is debatable, because the likes of Thierry Henry, Gianfranco Zola, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs and Alan Shearer would have strong claims.
But in the last decade there probably hasn’t been anyone to compare with the Egyptian.
His contribution to Liverpool’s success has been immense. He helped them win their first title in 30 years as well as the Champions League. And on current form, it would take a brave person to bet against him leading Liverpool to the same double this time round.
And the best thing about Salah? He does it all with a smile on his face, without causing his manager a moment’s trouble. He is the ultimate professional.
Daniel Moxon
Even fans of Liverpool’s most bitter rivals can no longer reasonably argue that Mo Salah isn’t an all-time great.
His goal-scoring grabs the headlines but Liverpool have always been far, far more dangerous in attack when he’s on the pitch. And he almost always is. Salah’s injury record is remarkable, showing just how well he looks after himself – we shouldn’t underestimate how important that is.
His presence has elevated an already superb Liverpool side for eight years now and the sheer number of records he has broken speaks for itself.
Thierry Henry is probably the Premier League’s greatest ever player and has one more Golden Boot, Player of the Season award and title than Salah does.
The Egyptian is likely to match Henry on all three counts come the end of May. Their goals and assists tallies are also comparable, as is the impact each player had on their respective clubs.
So if Salah isn’t already the best ever Premier League player, he’s just about on par with the man who is.
Oli Gamp
After breaking two Premier League records in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Man City alone, there is no question that Mohamed Salah has reached the echelons of greatness in the English top flight.
Without doubt, we are looking at one of the finest players who have ever graced these shores.
The best ever? That might be hard to quantify. It’s hard to compare him with other legends of different positions but it depends what the classification is.
If it’s for the ability to change games in the blink of an eye with an incredible piece of quality and provide a big moment in a big game, it’s Salah. If it’s based on amazing vision and playmaking ability, it’s Kevin de Bruyne. If it’s based on sheer goalscoring numbers and magnificent finishing, there is a very strong argument for Thierry Henry, especially given all the success he brought to Arsenal.
I also believe it’s nigh-on impossible to compare current stars with previous generations because the game has changed so much. What I can say is Salah deserves to be mentioned among the best of bunch that we’ve been lucky enough to witness in the Premier League.
When it comes to star quality and the impact a player has had on a team, Salah easily makes the top three. (Henry, Salah, De Bruyne in no particular order)
Daniel Marsh
Just like Liverpool have been a cut above everyone else this season, it feels like Mohamed Salah is in a league of his own right now.
Did anyone, even the most optimistic of Liverpool fans, really have both the team and Salah to perform as well as they have done this year following the bombshell departure of Jurgen Klopp?
And that’s before you even add in the fact that Salah is another year old. Like a fine wine, he seems to just get better with age which should make the club dispel any doubts over a new contract.
But in terms of the best ever, where does Salah rank? He’s definitely up there, even if he isn’t quite on the throne for me. I’m a 90s kid (what Gen is that classed as now?) so I’ll stick to the Premier League era. For me, Thierry Henry was the man growing up. Honourable mentions to Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Shearer etc.
For me, Henry pips Salah right now. But if he does stay on for another couple of years and continues to defy father time, then maybe he’ll surpass them all. I certainly wouldn’t bet against him.
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