Liverpool legend Salah bows out after nine glorious years

Mohamed Salah could not bring himself to walk away. Twenty minutes after the final whistle had heralded the end of his Liverpool career, the Egypt international stood before the Kop and basked in the acclaim of his supporters. Nine years, 442 appearances and 257 goals had led to this moment. His goodbye had been weeks in the making, and still he looked like a man desperate for it all not to end.

Salah was substituted in the 74th minute of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford at Anfield, receiving a standing ovation before kissing the turf.

After the match, his teammates and staff formed a guard of honor, through which the winger walked in tears.

“I cried a lot, more than I did my whole life, but it’s very tough to leave a place like this,” Salah said. “I also cried a bit in the training ground. I’m not really an emotional guy — you guys don’t see that in the media. You always see me tough, aggressive. But inside, I’m like a baby.”

Records that define a generation

Salah’s assist for Curtis Jones against Brentford was his 93rd in the Premier League, breaking a Liverpool record he had shared with club great Steven Gerrard.

He leaves third on Liverpool’s all-time scoring list behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt, with 193 Premier League goals — the most by any Liverpool player and more than any other overseas player in league history.

He won two Premier League titles (under Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot), one Champions League, and four Golden Boots across eight trophies since joining from Roma in 2017.

‘We put this club back where it belongs’

In a post-match interview alongside Andy Robertson, who is also departing after nine seasons, Salah reflected on their shared legacy.

“We lived our youth here, sharing everything from the beginning until the end,” he said. “We wouldn’t even dream of what we have, but we did it for this club. We put it back where it belongs.”

His message to those who follow: “They don’t care that much about the result, as long as it’s sweat and you give your blood here, they will love you forever.”

What comes next for Liverpool and Salah

Salah will now focus on the upcoming World Cup with Egypt and has not yet signed for another team.

At Anfield, Arne Slot faces a summer of transition, with Ibrahima Konaté out of contract, and interest swirling around Alisson Becker, Curtis Jones, and others.

As the Kop sang Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” — “Every little thing is gonna be all right” — the reality was starker: for Liverpool’s greatest team in a generation, the final curtain has fallen.

And Salah, for once, let the tears speak.