Mohamed Salah’s Anfield Farewell: A Legacy of Greatness

On Sunday, when Brentford walk out at Anfield, the roar will not just be for a game. It will be for a goodbye. Mohamed Salah’s last appearance on Merseyside brings the curtain down on a staggering nine-year spell that has rewritten Liverpool history and redefined what greatness looks like in red.

Two hundred and fifty-seven goals. Third on the club’s all-time scoring list. A driving force behind Champions League glory in 2019 and two Premier League titles. A winger who played like a centre-forward, a star who behaved like a standard-bearer.

Those who shared the dressing room with him, those who watched from the stands or from the club’s past, know exactly what Liverpool are losing.

Virgil van Dijk: “Once-in-a-lifetime player”

Virgil van Dijk has spent years watching Salah from the best seat in the house – 30 yards 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 said, listing the numbers, the assists, the devastating link-up with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, and the relentless work.

“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.”

Not just a finisher. A reference point.

Alisson: “You can tell your kids, ‘Look to this guy’”

Goalkeepers see everything. Alisson Becker saw the graft behind the glory.

“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,” he said. “His achievements, his records broken, for goals, for assists, for so many things. For time spent in the gym as well!”

Alisson painted the picture of a man who refused to lean only on talent.

“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. And then as a person, I think the commitment that he showed through all these years for being the best as he could.

“Yes, he has that desire for doing things for himself but on the benefit of others as well. 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.’”

Legacy, in Alisson’s eyes, is about habits as much as highlights.

Thiago: “One of the best teammates I ever had”

Thiago Alcantara arrived decorated from Barcelona and Bayern Munich, used to sharing a pitch with giants. Salah still taught 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 admitted.

“Not just on the pitch… But the behaviour and the human that was behind the player. Amazing human being, amazing professional. Keeps you hungry as well all the time. One of the best teammates I ever had.”

For a player who has seen the game’s elite up close, that is no small compliment.

Firmino: “He built the history and legacy he is leaving”

Roberto Firmino, the man who knitted together Liverpool’s famous front three, spoke of the person behind the records.

“He’s a good guy that everyone likes, that everyone admires a lot,” Firmino said. “And also playing football, a guy who inspires us a lot, of course. 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.”

The goals were shared. So was the joy.

Henderson: “The best player and the best human being”

Jordan Henderson captained Salah through the club’s most successful modern era. He saw the hunger 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,” Henderson said.

“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.”

Ambition never drowned out the collective. That balance defined Liverpool’s rise.

Alexander-Arnold: “He was never satisfied”

Trent Alexander-Arnold grew up watching Salah, then grew with him. What struck him most was the obsession.

“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 recalled.

“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.”

The records fell. The appetite never did.

Klopp: “We saw greatness”

Jürgen Klopp built his Liverpool around Salah and knew from early on what he had on his hands.

“We will realise – I think we know already, we have a sense – we saw greatness. And that’s what he is,” the manager said.

“He’s an all-time great, he’s an incredible football player, he’s an incredible guy, 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. And, yeah, I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

Greatness, for Klopp, went far beyond the white lines.

Sturridge: “An obsession you have to have”

Daniel Sturridge knows the striker’s mindset. In Salah, he recognised something ruthless.

“One of the great attributes of attackers is to always feel like you want to help the team with numbers,” he said. “I think that is what most attackers feel like but with the truly great ones it’s an obsession that you have to have. I think he has that and had it in abundance. 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.”

Self-belief, then delivery.

Díaz: “He left a profound mark on me”

Luis Diaz, one of the newer forwards to share the frontline with Salah, saw a man still desperate for more.

“He always wants to win titles and give his best for the club,” Diaz said. “So to share it with him, to see how happy he was, to see how much he was enjoying it, it was incredible. 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.”

Even late in his Liverpool story, Salah was still shaping others’ chapters.

Robertson: “You deserve a send-off that reflects your status”

Andy Robertson, his partner in crime down the left and right, watched the evolution from up close.

“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 said.

“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. 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.”

The words of a teammate. The tone of a fan.

Gomez: “The numbers just cement your legacy forever”

Joe Gomez arrived as a youngster and matured alongside Salah.

“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 said.

“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.”

The statistics will live in the record books; the relationships live longer.

Fowler and Rush: Greats recognising a great

When Liverpool’s past speaks, it carries weight. Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush know what it means to score goals for this club.

“I think he’s been an astonishing player for Liverpool. His numbers, his games, his performances, his record have been outstanding,” Fowler said. “I think he’s been one of Liverpool’s greats in the Premier League. He’s also been one of the Premier League greats. 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, highlighted the intelligence behind the explosiveness.

“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.”

Two of Anfield’s deadliest finishers tipping their hats to the modern king.

Milner: “This is what it is to be a Liverpool player”

James Milner, the standard-setter’s standard-setter, saw another leader in Salah.

“You need different types of leaders and Mo was a big leader,” he said. “The standards he set every day – not only in training, in the gym, off the field – he led, for sure, by example.”

“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.’”

Culture is built by people who live it. Salah did.

Gerrard: “Salah’s in that level”

Steven Gerrard played in an era of giants and measured Salah against the game’s highest bar.

“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 said.

“In my time that would have been Ronaldinho, for example, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi, [Zinedine] Zidane, these bunch of players, Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta, where you felt as if they were just freaks when it came down to the level of football. 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 legend to Liverpool legend, the verdict is clear.

Slot and the new era’s view: “It isn’t a coincidence”

Arne Slot, who stepped into a club Salah had already shaped, recognised the same traits from day one.

“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,” Slot said.

“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.

“Everything he’s done for the club, but 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.”

For Slot, the explanation was simple: he earned it.

Kerkez, Lijnders, Oxlade-Chamberlain: The obsession up close

Milos Kerkez, Pepijn Lijnders and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all circled the same theme – an almost superhuman professionalism.

“What really put him [apart] from everyone is how professional he is, it’s unbelievable. I don’t see that in any player,” Kerkez said. “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.”

Lijnders went even stronger.

“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.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain summed it up in one word.

“I’ve never seen anyone do what Mo does – every hour of the day. 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.”

The greatness everyone sees on matchday is built in the hours nobody watches.

Elliott and Torres: A mentor and a favourite

For Harvey Elliott, Salah was not just a star to follow, but a guide.

“[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,” Elliott said. “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.”

Fernando Torres, another Anfield icon, simply called him his favourite.

“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 the kids in the academy to the heroes of yesterday, the verdict aligns.

On Sunday, Anfield will rise for Mohamed Salah one last time. The numbers are carved into history. The stories, the standards, the scars he leaves on opponents and the imprint he leaves on teammates will linger longer still.

The question now is not what he has been to Liverpool. That is settled. It’s who, or what, could ever follow him.