Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah scores landmark goal for Liverpool. Could this really be his final season at the club?
If this is Mohamed Salah's final season at Liverpool, he is going out in style.
The Egypt striker scored his 50th European goal for Liverpool and his 22nd in all competitions this season to help Arne Slot's team secure a place in the Champions League round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over Lille on Tuesday.
“Hopefully (it's) not the last one,” said Salah, whose contract expires at the end of the season and has increasingly raised the prospect that this could be his last with the Merseyside club.
Despite being at his brilliant best for a Liverpool team that is top of the standings in the Champions League and the Premier League, the 32-year-old Salah has just months remaining until he becomes a free agent.
Negotiations
Salah, who signed a three-year contract in 2022, has been free to talk to clubs outside of England from Jan. 1. He has indicated his preference is to stay at Liverpool but in recent months has used media interviews to voice his frustration over the failure to reach an agreement.
Earlier his month he said there was “far away” from progress.
Asked after his landmark goal against Lille if he would stay long enough to score another 50, he said: “I'm not sure about that, but I will give it my best.”
What's the holdup?
That isn't clear.
At the age of 32, this could be Salah's last major contract and it isn’t known how much money he would want to remain at Anfield, where he has established himself as a club icon after winning a full set of trophies including the Champions League and the Premier League since joining from Roma in 2017.
Read: Champions League kicks off in January with a crucial PSG vs. Man City clash
There are potential risks to giving long-term contracts to players in their 30s. But there is no sign of Salah's standards dipping. He has been pivotal to Liverpool’s success this season and is currently leading the scoring charts in the Premier League ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
With his goal against Lille, he became the first Liverpool player to score 50 in Europe competitions.
What does Arne Slot say?
It feels like the Liverpool manager has constantly had to field questions about the future of his star player.
After Salah's latest moment of brilliance — sweeping a shot past Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier to put Liverpool 1-0 up in the 34th minute — Slot piled more praise on his striker.
“Special, I think is the word that describes Mo's performance at this club the best — or maybe there are even better words to use, but he’s been outstanding for this club for so many years.”
What are his options?
Salah can talk to teams outside of England and was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent years.
Read more: Mbappé puts on a show again with 2 goals as Real Madrid beats Las Palmas 4-1
As a free agent, he would likely have many suitors among Europe's biggest clubs.
Contract headaches
Salah is not the only Liverpool star with an expiring contract. Captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also in the final months of their deals.
3 weeks ago
Favourite to Win the Best FIFA Men’s Player 2021 Award
FIFA has been granted the Best Player of the Year title since 1991. The award was co-sponsored by FIFA and the French magazine Ballon d'Or from 2010 until 2015. However, this prize has been presented only by football's highest governing body since 2016. The Argentine sensation Lionel Messi has won it six times and has been nominated for the year 2021. Messi is the favorite to win the coveted award for a record seventh time, and he will compete in the final voting against two other finalists, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah. Let's take a look at how each of the nominees fared in FIFA Men's Player of the Year title 2021.
The Finalists for the FIFA Men’s Player 2021 Award
Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Mohamed Salah all have excelled for their respective clubs and countries in the last year. Therefore, they have been nominated for the best player of the year award. The virtual awards ceremony will take place in Zurich on January 17th. Let's see how they performed in the year 2021.
Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona/PSG)
Silverware: Copa America 2021, Copa Del Ray 2021
Lionel Messi was exceptional for Argentina's national team in the Copa America 2021, helping them win the trophy for the first time in 28 years. Messi scored four goals and assisted on five others in the tournament. It was Messi's first-ever international trophy with Argentina.
Apart from his contributions to the Argentina national team, Messi also helped FC Barcelona finish in the top three of La Liga in the 2020/2021 season and win the Copa Del Rey. Messi joined PSG in the 2021 summer transfer window and has already made an impact on his new team in the UEFA Champions League. So, Lionel Messi is the frontrunner to win the FIFA Men's Player 2021 Award.
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Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)
Silverware: Bundesliga 2021, DFL-Supercup 2021
Robert Lewandowski edged Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to win the FIFA Men's Player of the Year award for 2020 in the final voting. He enjoyed another fantastic season with FC Bayern Munich in Germany. Lewandowski not only helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga in 2021, but he also beat Gerd Muller's record for most goals in a single season.
Lewandowski had the most goals in a single season with 41 in the 2020/2021 season. He had a decent tournament for Poland at EURO 2020, but he couldn't help his team advance to the knockout stage. No one can deny Lewandowski's contribution to Bayern Munich, and he has rightfully earned a spot among the top three contenders.
Read Bangladesh’s U-19 SAFF Women’s Championship victory to serve as a harbinger of success in football
Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
Silverware: N/A
Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has been in superb form since the start of the 2021/2022 season. He has 23 goals in 26 games so far this season. Many experts believe he is the finest forward in the world right now. Salah's outstanding play has not gone unnoticed by football experts, despite the fact that he did not win any trophies with his club or country last year. Therefore, Mohamed Salah is a deserving candidate for the Best FIFA Men’s Player 2021 Award.
Verdict
Lionel Messi will be slightly ahead of the other two candidates to win the FIFA Men's Player of the Year title 2021 after his amazing performance with Argentina's national team. Messi was the most valuable member of Argentina's national side during the Copa America in 2021. Meanwhile, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski has been the star player for Bayern Munich last season. On the other hand, Mohamed Salah has been the driving force behind Liverpool's forward line for the past two seasons. Therefore, selecting the final winner will be challenging, but the honor will hopefully go to the most deserving candidate.
Read Top 10 Most Memorable Football Moments of 2021
3 years ago
Salah, Firmino both score twice as Liverpool routs Porto 5-1
Two goals from Mohamed Salah. A double as well from Roberto Firmino. All with 20-year-old midfielder Curtis Jones playing a part for Liverpool.
The only Liverpool goal without a direct role for Jones came from Sadio Mane in a 5-1 victory at Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The six-time European champions benefited from poor goalkeeping from Diogo Costa to make it two wins out of two in Group B, which they lead by two points from Atlético Madrid after the Spanish champions won 2-1 at AC Milan.
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The goals started flowing in Porto in the 18th minute after Jones cut in on his right foot to fire in a low shot which Costa weakly parried into Zaidu Sanusi and Salah pounced from close range.
The goalkeeping was even more questionable just before halftime.
A sweeping move from left wing to right allowed James Milner to whip a low cross into the penalty area where Costa inexplicably put his arms behind his back to allow the ball to run to Mane, who gratefully accepted a fifth goal in five matches against the Portuguese side.
Costa denied Diogo Jota’s fierce drive early in the second half before Salah showed him how it should be done as Jones’ driving run from deep teed up the Egypt striker, who took one touch before firing past Costa on the hour.
Jota hit the side netting before Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp afforded himself the luxury of resting Salah, Mane and Milner for Sunday’s game against Manchester City in the Premier League.
Read:Messi scores superb 1st goal for PSG in 2-0 win against City
Mehdi Taremi pulled one back in the 74th minute with a diving header but there was still time for more Costa eccentrics as he raced out of his goal for a ball he was never going to get.
Receiving a high ball from Jones, Firmino rolled a shot past Costa from 30 yards (meters) and, despite the goalkeeper’s despairing run and dive, it crept over the line.
Firmino benefited from a deflected shot from Jones to slot home a second in the 81st.
3 years ago