The curtain came down on one of Anfield's greatest love stories on Sunday, as Mohamed Salah was substituted off in what is expected to be his final appearance at the iconic stadium. Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Brentford on the final day of the Premier League season was not just the closing match of a campaign. It was the end of a chapter that defined the club's most successful modern era.
Salah, who received a tearful standing ovation from every corner of Anfield, leaves Liverpool as the club's third most prolific scorer in history with 257 goals in 442 appearances, behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt. In his final match he provided the assist for Curtis Jones's goal, making him Liverpool's all-time leading Premier League assister with 93, surpassing Steven Gerrard.
Teammates formed a guard of honour for Salah as he departed the pitch, in a deeply moving moment rounded off by the Egyptian planting a farewell kiss on the Anfield turf.
When Salah arrived from Roma in the summer of 2017, few could have anticipated the scale of what was to follow. He became the player around whom one of the most competitive Liverpool sides in recent memory was built, combining pace, technical ability, and remarkable consistency in front of goal over nearly a decade. His trophy haul at the club includes the UEFA Champions League, two Premier League titles, the UEFA Super Cup, the Club World Cup, the FA Cup, and two League Cups. He also won four Premier League Golden Boots during his time at Anfield.
His final months at Liverpool were not without turbulence. His relationship with manager Arne Slot had deteriorated, and in December Salah was dropped from the squad after publicly stating he had been benched without justification following a run of poor results. He had announced in March that he would leave Anfield at the end of the season. His next destination has not been confirmed. After the match, Salah said only that "the affection of the fans is what matters most to me."
The statistics and the trophies tell part of the story. The rest of it belongs to the supporters who watched him week after week, and who gave him a send-off on Sunday that made plain he was leaving not merely as a great footballer, but as a Liverpool legend.
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, The National, Caught Off Side, beIN Sports
