When the BBC called for a vote for the Premier League XI for the summer of 2022, Salah was nowhere to be seen, beaten for the lead by Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo. The latter is now increasingly unbearable, especially since the Egyptian has achieved far more for Liverpool than Cristiano Ronaldo achieved at Manchester United.
After Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid, the debate over whether he or Messi is the best is sure to define an era. But Salah is hard to recognize because he stands right in the middle of the stars of his generation and the next. This can be clearly seen, for example, on the “Golden Ball” podium. Salah’s brilliance lies primarily in his impeccable consistency, so he doesn’t need to produce ridiculous numbers in a season like Messi. The only time he did so was in the 2017/18 season, when Jurgen Klopp’s project was still in its infancy, and as the World Cup stars dominated the trophy, they only finished fourth in the league and finished sixth. In the last season, he climbed to 5th place. However, it is common knowledge that Salah has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or every season since he joined Liverpool. He would be a strong contender for this award if an equivalent award were granted over a five-year period.
Because few can match his consistent achievements. In fact, Salah is the closest player to Messi since he left for MLS. He is not often referred to in these terms. Although comparisons have already been made to Eden Hazard, now retired from the Premier League, the Liverpool icon shares many similarities with the greatest player of all time.
Both fighters compete in the lightweight division. Both are primarily right-handed players, but cannot be categorized into conventional arche types. They are not simply explosive one-on-one specialists, wide players or scorers.
Could Mohamed Salah still not get the credit he deserves? At the risk of sounding like former Liverpool striker Michael Owen, he insisted Christmas is “underrated”. There is no danger of Salah not getting the respect he deserves at Liverpool. But outside the four walls of Anfield, his greatness can sometimes be downplayed.
