Mohamed Salah's Farewell: Teammates Reflect on a Legend
On Sunday, when Brentford walk out at Anfield, the noise will rise for Liverpool’s players as it always does. But one man will carry the weight of nine years, 257 goals and an era on his shoulders.
Mohamed Salah’s last game on Merseyside is not just a farewell to a winger. It is the closing of a chapter that redefined what greatness looks like in red.
Those who lived it alongside him know it best.
“Once-in-a-lifetime” from the heart of the defence
Virgil van Dijk has spent years watching Salah from the best seat in the house – just behind him.
“There are so many words that can be said about him. He’s been an incredible football player, so influential. Absolute special player. Once-in-a-lifetime player, in my opinion,” the captain says.
The numbers back him up. The goals, the assists, the relentless combinations with Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino. But Van Dijk goes straight to the intangibles: the work, the example, the standard.
“He’s just incredible and [a] leader by example in the things that he does. An incredible player and someone that’s so important for the football club over all those years and a big part of the successes that we have.”
From Kyiv heartbreak to Madrid redemption, Salah has been the constant.
Alisson and the man who lived in the gym
Goalkeepers see everything. Alisson Becker has watched Salah torment defenders, but what sticks with him is what nobody sees.
“I think he’s one of the most important players of the history of this club. He’s on the top with so many others,” Alisson says. “His achievements, his records broken, for goals, for assists, for so many things. For time spent in the gym as well!”
The Brazilian paints the picture of a man who refused to lean on talent alone.
“Someone that works really hard, doesn’t rely only on his qualities but improves his qualities on the pitch, in the gym, at home, as everyone can see.”
For Alisson, Salah’s legacy is as much about standards as silverware.
“I think Mo leaves here a legacy as well about standards. He’s someone that you can tell your kids, ‘Look to this guy. If you want to be someone good you can follow him on the things that he does.’”
Thiago’s surprise lesson
Thiago Alcantara arrived with a lifetime of elite dressing rooms behind him – Barcelona, Bayern Munich, serial winners everywhere he turned. Yet Salah still managed to teach him something new.
“I arrived in my nearly-30s there and I thought coming from Barcelona, from Bayern [Munich], I’ve learned a lot from very experienced players. Suddenly, a guy with a similar age of mine, you learn a lot,” Thiago admits.
Not just about football.
“Amazing human being, amazing professional. Keeps you hungry as well all the time. One of the best teammates I ever had.”
When a serial Champions League winner talks like that, you listen.
Firmino and the man with a “beautiful heart”
Roberto Firmino, the other point of that iconic front three, keeps it simple.
“He’s a good guy that everyone likes, that everyone admires a lot. And also playing football, a guy who inspires us a lot, of course.”
The Brazilian knows better than most how that legacy was built.
“On the pitch, during his time at Liverpool he built the history and legacy he is leaving. And he has a beautiful heart. I’m grateful to God for having the privilege of playing alongside Mo Salah.”
Behind the numbers, there was a bond.
Henderson on the difference between talent and character
Jordan Henderson captained Salah through the club’s modern golden spell. He saw the ambition up close.
“He wanted to be the best player. He probably wanted to break all those records, but he wanted the win for the team as well, he wanted to win trophies, he wanted to help the team as much as he could.”
Then comes the line that cuts to the core of Salah’s image inside the dressing room.
“There’s a difference between being the best player, and being the best player and the best human being – and I feel like Mo is both of those.”
That duality is why his departure feels bigger than a star moving on.
Alexander-Arnold and the man who was never satisfied
Trent Alexander-Arnold grew into one of Europe’s finest full-backs while sharing a flank with Salah. He watched the obsession from a few yards away.
“A relentless drive to be better and to be the best. And there wasn’t a day in training or anything where he didn’t want to be the best,” Trent recalls.
“Every single day he had a drive to keep getting better and better. He was never satisfied. Even with every record that he shattered, there was always something else he was chasing. Incredible.”
Records fell. The hunger didn’t.
Klopp: “We saw greatness”
Jürgen Klopp built his Liverpool around Salah’s left foot and iron will. His verdict is simple, and heavy.
“We will realise – I think we know already, we have a sense – we saw greatness. And that’s what he is. He’s an all-time great, he’s an incredible football player, he’s an incredible guy…”
Klopp goes beyond football, towards what Salah came to represent.
“He is an incredible ambassador for the whole Arabic world, in a difficult time we are living in. You have this guy who shows like, yeah, here we go, we’re all the same, we’re all together, we love the same things, we fight for the same things, all these kinds of things. That’s what he shows.”
Then the line from a manager who has shared the entire ride.
“And, yeah, I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Sturridge on the obsession of the truly great
Daniel Sturridge knows what it takes to score goals at Anfield. He also knows when someone has gone beyond normal standards.
“One of the great attributes of attackers is to always feel like you want to help the team with numbers,” he says. “With the truly great ones it’s an obsession that you have to have. I think he has that and had it in abundance.”
The respect runs deep.
“A really good teammate. All in all, I think he’s just somebody who achieved above expectations. I don’t think anybody ever thought he would be what he’s become, besides himself. It’s testament to his attitude, to his drive, to his will, to his dedication.”
The boy from Nagrig backed himself. The world caught up later.
Díaz, Robertson, Gomez: the standard-bearer
Luis Díaz arrived into a dressing room where Salah’s example already dominated.
“He always wants to win titles and give his best for the club,” Díaz says. Sharing that joy left its mark. “Always wanting to be a better player, a better person. That leaves a profound mark on you and he left a profound mark on me.”
Andy Robertson, who patrolled the opposite flank, saw the same.
“Watching you become the best at what you do and become one of the best to ever have worn the Liverpool shirt has been a joy to watch and be part of,” the Scot says.
“Your mentality is second-to-none and a lot of people could take note. You have pushed yourself every single day and always demanded more from yourself and others.”
Then the tribute of a teammate and a friend.
“A pleasure sharing the pitch with you for so long but even more so being able to call you a friend. You deserve a send-off that reflects your status at LFC – the greatest. Second-to-none.”
Joe Gomez, one of the longest-serving alongside Salah, strips it back.
“One of the greatest to ever wear the shirt. It’s been a pleasure having the countless hours watching your greatness first-hand in so many ways.”
He circles back to the same theme: work.
“Everyone knows about your mentality and work ethic – the numbers just cement your legacy forever. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. I’ll always be grateful for our friendship over all these years.”
Legends of the past on a modern great
When Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush talk about Liverpool goalscorers, they speak from the summit.
“I think he’s been an astonishing player for Liverpool,” Fowler says. “His numbers, his games, his performances, his record have been outstanding. I think he’s been one of Liverpool’s greats in the Premier League. He’s also been one of the Premier League greats.”
Fowler knows this loss won’t just be felt on Merseyside.
“So not only will the Liverpool fans miss him, but I think fans of the Premier League will miss Mo Salah as well.”
Rush, the club’s record scorer, highlights the brain behind the goals.
“Not just a goalscorer but the way he plays, he’s got a great football brain in there. When Mo’s going down that wing, he’s absolutely incredible. All Liverpool fans will love him and be sad to see him leave.”
From one era-defining forward to another, the baton has been passed.
Milner and the leader who didn’t need a captain’s armband
James Milner has played with leaders of every type. Salah, he says, led in his own way.
“You need different types of leaders and Mo was a big leader. The standards he set every day – not only in training, in the gym, off the field – he led, for sure, by example.”
For new signings and academy kids, Salah became the blueprint.
“When you see someone doing so well on the pitch and seeing what they’re doing every day, and you have young players coming through and players signing, it’s like, ‘This is what it is to be a top player, this is what it is to be a Liverpool player.’”
That is culture, not just quality.
Gerrard: putting Salah among the freaks
Steven Gerrard does not hand out superlatives lightly. He measures Salah against the giants of his own playing days.
“When I was at my peak and I felt like I could play and compete against any individual or I felt I could influence games at the top level, I still felt there were a bunch of players that operated on a different level,” he says.
He lists them: Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Xavi, Andres Iniesta. Then he drops Salah into that company.
“Salah’s in that level, Salah is in that level. Don’t let anyone else tell you any different – he’s in that level.”
From Liverpool’s greatest modern captain, that is as loud as praise gets.
Slot, Kerkez, Lijnders: the professional’s professional
Arne Slot, having only recently started working with Salah, understood immediately why the numbers look the way they do.
“So many good players around the world [and] he’s definitely one of them in the last 10 years, that everybody talks about being one of the best there is and was in the last 10 years,” he says.
What impresses him most is the relentlessness.
“To show that hunger every three days, that professionalism, that commitment to the club, to the team, to wanting to score again, always wanting to play – when you take him out three minutes before the end, he’s like, ‘Maybe I could have scored one extra!’ – that is what stands out for me.”
Slot knew after a single session that nothing about Salah’s decade at the top was accidental.
“The moment I started working with him I knew it after one day, let alone after a few weeks or months, that it isn’t a coincidence that he’s been so influential in the last 10 years in football.”
Milos Kerkez, looking up at him from the other side of the dressing room hierarchy, saw the same obsession.
“What really put him [apart] from everyone is how professional he is, it’s unbelievable. I don’t see that in any player. Doing all the gym stuff, eating healthy, how focused he is on doing everything [so] that he can perform his best on the pitch. That’s really unbelievable. That’s what I tried to learn from him in this year, also to pick it up. He is just unbelievable in that.”
Pepijn Lijnders, Klopp’s long-time assistant, takes it even further.
“I never met a guy – a player but also a human being – who is more committed to the life of being a professional football player.”
The theme repeats, louder each time: talent, yes. But fuelled by a discipline that bordered on obsession.
Oxlade-Chamberlain and Elliott: the mentor
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain spent years alongside Salah and still sounds slightly stunned.
“I’ve never seen anyone do what Mo does – every hour of the day,” he says. “To the point where I straight up look at him and think, ‘I don’t think I could do that and fair play, you deserve everything you do.’ It was obsession.”
For Harvey Elliott, that obsession came with guidance.
“[Salah] was giving me pointers like what I needed to do, how I needed to do things, the philosophy of how we play, and what the manager wants,” the young midfielder explains.
“Even to this day, me and him have a really close connection now. And I’d say it’s more of a friendship than him just trying to help me out. But the way he’s handled me and put me on the path to somewhat get where I am today.”
The next generation won’t just inherit Salah’s position. They’ll inherit his lessons.
Torres and the final verdict
Fernando Torres, once the idol on the Kop, now places Salah at the very top of the modern game.
“For me, [he is a] top player and one of the best players in the last 10 years. I always say this, [he is] my favourite player [and] I put him among the best players in the world in the last 10 years.”
From Torres to Suarez to Salah, the line of elite Liverpool forwards runs unbroken. On Sunday, one of the greatest of them all takes his final bow at Anfield.
The goals will live in the archives. The trophies will sit in the cabinet. The standards he set – in the gym, on the training pitch, under the floodlights – now belong to those he leaves behind.
What they do with that inheritance will define the next era.
