Mohamed Salah: Liverpool's unbreakable, unstoppable goalscoring 'machine' deserves to be considered the best player in Premier League history

It is high time to associate the prolific forward with Thierry Henry in conversations about the Premier League's all-time greats.

Upon losing possession in midfield, manager Thomas Frank foresaw the inevitable – what he described as a "signature Liverpool counter-attack." The outcome, as he predicted, was almost always consistent: "Into Salah, bang, goal!" And he was accurate.

Receiving a pass from Darwin Nunez with ease, Mohamed Salah calmly slotted the ball into the net, giving Liverpool a 1-0 lead just six minutes before halftime in a previously evenly matched game.

Although Salah found the net again, securing a comfortable victory for Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp paid Thomas Frank a significant compliment during the post-match press conference. Klopp stated, "More than 20 years ago, when I started my coaching career, I aimed to build a team that nobody wanted to face. Today, we faced that team."

However, when Frank addressed the media, he believed the focus should shift from the Bees to the man who proved to be the decisive factor between the two teams. "Mo Salah..." the Danish manager began, expressing a mix of admiration and acceptance in his tone. "Klopp is commending me a lot, but I'm unsure if Salah receives sufficient praise. I believe he has the potential to be the best player in the Premier League.

"In terms of goals and assists, his level is exceptional! He must rank among the top offensive players globally—not just in the top 10, but the top three. When you have a player of that caliber, you anticipate challenges. Even on the first goal, not every player scores in that situation, highlighting his qualities."

Salah's clinical goal was expected, as Klopp himself noted that once the ball reached Salah's feet in the Brentford box, there was "no doubt" about what would transpire next. The Egyptian's ability to consistently find the net for Liverpool creates a sense of inevitability, to the extent that his weekly heroics are often taken for granted.

Salah has turned the extraordinary into the ordinary, explaining why Frank is entirely correct in stating that the forward frequently doesn't receive the credit he truly deserves.

History of Ballon dor snub:

It's worth noting that Salah didn't even secure a spot in the top 10 of this year's Ballon d'Or vote. One could argue that he fell victim to Liverpool's disappointing 2022-23 season and Egypt's World Cup qualification failure. However, individual awards ultimately highlight a player's prowess, especially when shining in a struggling team - precisely what Salah accomplished. Notably, only Erling Haaland (61) and Kylian Mbappe (50) were directly involved in more goals across all competitions in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues last season than Salah (46).

Yet, Ballon d'Or voters have consistently overlooked Salah's enduring brilliance. In 2021, despite averaging a goal per game in the Premier League and delivering stunning solo goals against teams like Manchester City, he finished seventh. When questioned about his ranking, Salah responded with a smile and a "No comment," while Klopp straightforwardly stated, "Mo definitely should have been higher up."

Alan Shearer, however, expressed fury: "Salah consistently performs magic week-in, week-out, year-in, year-out. How he ended up seventh is anyone's guess. Salah is currently the best in the world—both the top goalscorer and the best overall player, without question."

A machine:

It's Salah's remarkable consistency that truly distinguishes him. When Klopp refers to Salah as a "goalscoring machine," it's an accurate description. Salah consistently delivers, and part of his success lies in his durability.

Since his move from Roma for an initial £36.5 million ($46m) seven seasons ago—a deal often hailed as Liverpool's best business—he has never played fewer than 48 games in a season. Remarkably, he's missed just three Premier League matches due to injury or illness, a testament to his incredible professionalism.

Even among a squad known for its work ethic and stamina, Salah stands out, according to club captain Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool's head of fitness and conditioning, Andreas Kornmayer, notes that if you ask Salah to arrive 30 minutes before training, he'll show up an hour early.

Assistant manager Pep Lijnders jokingly questions if Salah ever goes home, stating, "Mo's car is always in the car park! Sometimes I think he does it on purpose!"

Regardless, Klopp's assistant, Peter Krawietz, emphasizes the value of Salah's consistent availability for selection. "Being as fit as possible every day because he wants to be available for us, to achieve the next team objectives, and to get goals and win the Golden Boot – all these things," Krawietz explains.

The results of Salah's unwavering dedication speak volumes. Following his double against Brentford just before the November international break, he boasts 198 goals in 321 appearances for Liverpool. As the club's all-time Premier League top scorer and the leading scorer in European competitions for the Reds, Salah has achieved these records at a staggering pace. With a goals-per-game ratio of 0.62, he surpasses Liverpool legends Ian Rush (0.52) and Roger Hunt (0.58), both classic No.9s, as noted by Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports: "His numbers are off the scale, in terms of goals and assists – higher than any other Liverpool player in history."

Liverpool great Premier League players:

Determining Salah's exact standing among Liverpool legends is challenging, and he may not have surpassed the iconic Kenny Dalglish, who clinched six league titles and three European Cups during his time at Anfield.

However, when considering the Premier League era, it's hard to dispute Salah as the club's finest. Steven Gerrard, an undisputed Anfield icon, showcased his all-encompassing midfield prowess and captaincy greatness, notably highlighted by his Herculean display in the 2005 Champions League final.

Even Paul Scholes, a Manchester United legend, concedes that while Gerrard could have excelled at Old Trafford, he questions whether Gerrard could have carried Liverpool in the same way. The prospect of Gerrard playing under a manager like Klopp throughout his Anfield career raises thoughts of additional trophies the midfielder might have lifted.

Despite Gerrard's remarkable contributions, including his notable absence of a Premier League title, Salah's consistency and statistics set him apart. Jermaine Pennant, a former Reds winger, recently argued, "You'd have to say Salah is Liverpool's best-ever Premier League player simply due to his stats. We understand what Steven Gerrard did for Liverpool, but if you're looking at goals, assists, and overall numbers, Salah has been phenomenal and has broken all kinds of records."

The best of the bestest?

Salah's claim as Liverpool's best player in the Premier League extends beyond; he now stands as a compelling candidate for the title of the greatest attacking talent the competition has ever witnessed.

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand openly acknowledges Salah's exceptional goal-scoring prowess, expressing, "He's definitely one of the best goalscorers the Premier League has ever seen - I rate him that highly. I think he's a fantastic player and possesses that self-belief which sets him apart from ordinary players. The consistency he's maintained at such a high level places him in the elite tier of Premier League players we've witnessed."

This claim is indisputable. Salah's impact goes beyond goal-scoring, as Klopp rightly emphasizes, "People often forget how many goals he also sets up." Since his arrival at Anfield, Salah has been directly involved in more goals (209) than any other player, leaving Harry Kane a distant second with 169. Notably, prolific Premier League players like Shearer, Andy Cole, Sergio Aguero, Ian Wright, Didier Drogba, and Wayne Rooney, while capable of creating opportunities, do not match Salah's dual proficiency in scoring and providing assists. Salah ranks second for assists (62), fourth for chances created (402), and fifth for dribbles completed (360) since the start of the 2017-18 Premier League season.

Salah vs Henry

What we're discussing here is a unique hybrid attacker, a top-tier winger with the goal-scoring instincts reminiscent of a classic No.9. In this category, Salah's primary competitors are Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry.

If Ronaldo had spent more of his prime at Manchester United, it's plausible he could have matched Salah's sustained excellence in England. However, Ronaldo departed Old Trafford a year after his most prolific campaign.

Henry, in contrast, devoted his peak years to Arsenal, enjoying eight sensational seasons under Arsene Wenger's guidance. Wenger transformed him into the most formidable attacking force globally, drawing parallels with Klopp's addition of goals to Salah's game. While Salah predominantly operates from wide positions, Henry played mostly through the middle, yet they share many similarities. Henry, like Salah, faced his own Ballon d'Or controversies.

Arsenal's all-time leading goal-scorer possessed an exquisite yet effective style, showcasing both beauty and beastliness. He could dismantle opponents single-handedly and exhibited unselfishness, exemplified by being the sole player in Premier League history to achieve 20-plus goals and 20-plus assists in the same season (2002-03). The mystery of why the Ballon d'Or went to Pavel Nedved that year remains.

Although Henry didn't secure a Champions League title in England, unlike Salah who scored in Liverpool's 2019 final win over Tottenham, the Frenchman clinched two Premier League titles and four Golden Boots, surpassing Salah on both counts.

Appreciate what you have before it's no longer around

Despite being 31 and seemingly unstoppable, Salah's potential to match or surpass Henry's accomplishments isn't far-fetched. As Liverpool currently hold the second spot in the standings, heading into a clash with Manchester City, one of Salah's preferred opponents, there's cautious optimism about a surprise title challenge.

The extent to which Salah can outdo Henry's numbers may hinge on whether he opts for a move to Saudi Arabia at the end of the season. However, leaving next summer might not tarnish his legacy; it could, in fact, be beneficial, potentially garnering the recognition he truly deserves.

As Van Dijk noted, "At a later stage, I think the things he's done will be appreciated a lot more by the outside world. For us, we appreciate everything he does day in, day out. We see all the hard work that he puts in. He just has to keep it going."

And Salah has indeed maintained his relentless pace with no signs of slowing down. More than seven years after joining Anfield, the script remains consistent: Into Salah, bang, goal! Despite its predictability for opponents, it remains an unstoppable force.