June 2026

Image credit: Liverpool FC (@LFC) / Twitter (X)

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When Mohamed Salah walked off the Anfield pitch for the final time, the roar that greeted him was not just appreciation — it was nine years of love, compressed into a single, overwhelming moment. The Egyptian King has left Liverpool. And English football will never quite look the same.

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From Nagrig to Anfield: The Unlikely Journey of a Football Legend

The story of Mohamed Salah begins not in a football academy, not in a wealthy city suburb, but in Nagrig — a small, modest village in the Gharbia Governorate of northern Egypt, where he was born on June 15, 1992. His family had little, but Salah had football, and from his earliest years it was clear he had something special.

To pursue his dream, the young Salah would travel up to nine hours a day to train with youth club El Mokawloon (Arab Contractors Sporting Club) near Cairo. Nine hours, every day, for the chance to be a footballer. It was an extraordinary commitment from a teenager, and it speaks volumes about the drive and determination that would define his entire career.

He signed his first professional contract at the age of 14, and by 2010 he had made his senior debut for El Mokawloon. Two years later, a Swiss club came calling — and the world was about to be introduced to Mohamed Salah.

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The Long Road: Basel, Chelsea, and a Career Reborn in Rome

In 2012, Salah joined FC Basel in Switzerland. It was the move that put him on the map. He won two Swiss Super League titles, impressed in European competition, and attracted serious interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Chelsea were the ones to act, signing him in January 2014 for a reported £11 million.

But Stamford Bridge was not kind to Salah. Under José Mourinho, he made just three Premier League appearances, unable to break into a squad packed with experienced internationals. It was a deeply frustrating period — but rather than stagnate, Salah left for Italy on loan, first to Fiorentina and then to AS Roma, where his career underwent a complete transformation.

At Roma, Salah was reborn. The pace, the trickery, the clinical finishing that would later terrorise Premier League defences — it all crystallised in Serie A. In the 2016-17 season alone, he recorded 19 goals and 13 assists, earning Roma’s Player of the Year award and, crucially, the full attention of a Liverpool manager named Jürgen Klopp.

Chelsea, who had let him leave, could only watch.

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Liverpool: Nine Years, 257 Goals, and a Place in History

In the summer of 2017, Liverpool broke their transfer record to bring Salah to Anfield. At the time, some questioned whether he was worth the fee. What followed made those doubts look almost comical.

The 2017-18 Season: A Record for the Ages

Salah’s debut Liverpool season was one of the most extraordinary individual campaigns the Premier League has ever seen. He scored 32 league goals in a single season — a new Premier League record for a 38-game season at the time — and 44 goals across all competitions, the second-highest total in Liverpool’s history. He won the PFA Player of the Year, the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year, and the Premier League Player of the Year all in the same breath. The world had a new superstar.

Trophy After Trophy

What followed over nine seasons was a haul that few players in Liverpool’s modern history can match. Salah won:

• Two Premier League titles (2019-20 and 2024-25)
• One UEFA Champions League (2018-19)
• One FA Cup (2021-22)
• Two League Cups
• One FIFA Club World Cup
• One UEFA Super Cup

The 2018-19 season brought the Champions League — the trophy Liverpool had craved for 14 years — as Salah and his teammates beat Tottenham in the final in Madrid. It remains one of Anfield’s greatest nights.

The Records That Define a Legend

The numbers Salah leaves behind are staggering:

• 257 goals in 442 appearances for Liverpool — third on the club’s all-time list, behind only Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285)
• Four Premier League Golden Boots — level with Thierry Henry, a record shared by no other player
• Liverpool’s all-time top Premier League goalscorer with 191 goals
• Liverpool’s all-time top Premier League assister with 93 assists, surpassing Steven Gerrard’s record in his final Anfield appearance
• 48 Champions League goals in 84 appearances
• The fastest hat-trick in Champions League history — six minutes and 12 seconds against Rangers in October 2022
• In 2024-25, his 47 goal involvements (29 goals, 18 assists) set an all-time record for a 38-game Premier League season

In the 2024-25 season — his final full campaign — Salah won his fourth Golden Boot with 29 goals, also claiming the PFA Players’ Player of the Year for a record third time and the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year. It was a fitting final statement from a player who refused to fade.

The Farewell

His last match at Anfield told the story perfectly. Against Brentford, in a game Liverpool needed to qualify for the Champions League, Salah produced one of his signature moments — a curling, outside-of-the-left-boot cross that set up Curtis Jones to score. It was his 93rd Premier League assist for the club, breaking Steven Gerrard’s long-standing record. Even in farewell, he was making history.

When asked if he would ever return, Salah was characteristically direct: “No, I won’t come back. I’ll go very far from here.”

His final season had also been marked by turbulence off the pitch — a very public falling-out with manager Arne Slot, who dropped him and, Salah alleged, made him a scapegoat for Liverpool’s poor start to the season. Salah stated that his relationship with Slot was “nonexistent”. It was an ugly end to what had been a beautiful story — though few who watched Salah’s Anfield farewell will dwell long on the politics. What they will remember is the goals, the magic, and a decade of brilliance.

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For Egypt, A National Treasure

Beyond Liverpool, Salah’s story belongs to an entire nation. In Egypt, he is not merely a footballer — he is a symbol of what is possible. His journey from a village in the Nile Delta to becoming one of the best players on the planet has inspired a generation, and his contributions to Egyptian football have been immense.

He remains Egypt’s all-time leading scorer in international football and has carried his nation’s hopes at multiple Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and World Cup qualification campaigns. The pride he has brought to Egypt extends far beyond statistics — it is cultural, emotional, and deeply personal to millions.

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Where Next? The World Waits for Salah’s Answer

At 33, Salah is not finished. The form he showed in his final Liverpool season proved his body and mind remain at the very highest level. The question is simply: where does the Egyptian King go from here?

He has stated he is “still assessing” his options, and that after the 2026 World Cup, “everything will become clear.”

Al Ittihad and the Saudi Pro League

The Saudi clubs have long circled Salah, and Al Ittihad — the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League champions — remain his most persistent admirers. Senior Saudi league figures have stated with confidence that “We are absolutely convinced that Mo Salah will come to Saudi.” The money on offer would be astronomical, and for a player in the final chapter of his career, the financial security is undeniable. Al Ittihad and other Saudi giants remain the heavy frontrunners in the eyes of many.

AS Roma — A Sentimental Return?

Perhaps the most romantic option. Roma, the club where Salah’s career truly ignited, have emerged as genuine contenders. The Italian club is being offered at +500 odds — third in the betting — and the idea of Salah returning to the Stadio Olimpico to complete the circle of his European career carries real emotional weight. Roma fans have never forgotten what he did in red and yellow, and the club’s Egyptian connection runs deep.

Fenerbahçe and the Turkish Option

Remarkably, one bookmaker rates a move to Turkey as the single most likely outcome, with odds of 2/1 for any Turkish club. Fenerbahçe in particular have been linked, with the Istanbul giants capable of offering European football and a passionate fanbase. José Mourinho’s presence — the very manager who failed to use Salah at Chelsea — managing in Turkey adds an ironic subplot to this particular thread.

MLS and San Diego FC

Egyptian-British billionaire Mohamed Mansour backs San Diego FC, and Egyptian media have reported genuine family interest in a move to the United States. The MLS is increasingly attracting elite talent in the final years of their careers, and Salah’s global profile would make him its biggest-ever signing. At +350 odds, it is a real possibility.

Staying in Europe

There remains an outside chance that Salah stays in a major European league. His level — as demonstrated by 47 goal involvements in his final Liverpool season — is still comfortably elite. Several top clubs could theoretically benefit from his quality, though his age and wage demands narrow the field considerably.

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The Legacy He Leaves Behind

When future generations of Liverpool supporters are asked who the greatest player of the modern era was, the argument will likely begin and end with Mohamed Salah. He arrived at a club ready to be great and made them greater. He shattered records that seemed untouchable. He gave Anfield moments that will live forever — the goal against Manchester City, the chip against Watford, the Napoli opener, the record-breaking season of 2017-18.

He did it all with a quiet dignity, a relentless work ethic, and a humility that made him as admired as a person as he was as a player.

The Egyptian King has left the building. But Anfield — and world football — will feel his absence for a long, long time.