Egyptian international Mohamed Salah (96 caps, 54 goals) with Liverpool, will host Brighton for a shot at the Premier League top spot before the clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, this Sunday, March 31st. Ahead of this encounter, Sport News Africa presents the 5 remarkable records of the Pharaoh with the Reds.
Highest-scoring African player in the Premier League
In England, no African player outperforms Mohamed Salah. For a long time, Didier Drogba dominated the realm with his impressive statistics in Chelsea’s colors, boasting an unprecedented tally of 104 goals. However, since the signings of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané at Liverpool, the leaderboard has seen significant changes. Already prolific with Southampton, Sadio Mané confirmed his prowess by scoring a total of 111 goals. As for Mohamed Salah, he takes it a step further with 154 goals in the English top flight.
Liverpool’s top scorer in Europe
Arriving at Liverpool in 2017 for €42 million from AS Roma, Mohamed Salah has already etched his name in the Reds’ history. Winner of the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, and Club World Cup, the Pharaoh has swept all before him since donning the club’s colors. Beyond collective titles, it’s at the individual level where the 31-year-old leaves an indelible mark in the northeast English city. Coming off the bench in the 70th minute on October 26, 2023, for the Europa League’s 3rd matchday against Toulouse (5-1), he scored the goal that made him the highest scorer in European competition for an English club, surpassing a certain Thierry Henry. With 43 goals that night, he ascended to the top of the pyramid. Since then, he has added three more to further inflate his numbers.
Liverpool’s top scorer in the UEFA Champions League
In the premier European competition as well, Mohamed Salah has stamped his name boldly. In the Champions League, he is Africa’s top scorer in history. With 44 goals, he leads the chart ahead of stellar names. Former Ivorian international Didier Drogba shares the same total ahead of Samuel Eto’o (30 goals) and Sadio Mané (27 goals).
The tormentor of Manchester United
To linger in the minds of supporters, it’s not enough to just score goals but also to be present in crucial matches. To captivate the audience, one must be decisive against Manchester United. And Mohamed Salah understood that. He is the leading scorer in the Derby of England with 12 goals in 13 matches played. But the one that will remain in memories is the confrontation in October 2021. Liverpool thrashed Manchester United at Old Trafford (0-5) with an outstanding performance by Salah. With a hat-trick, Mohamed Salah became the first player to achieve this feat in the Premier League against Manchester United.
A provider of assists as well
Scoring isn’t Mohamed Salah’s only attribute. The perennial contender for the African Cup of Nations title is also a specialist in providing assists. As a provider of opportunities, he has surpassed Riyad Mahrez in this aspect. Against Wolverhampton (3-1) in September 2023, the Pharaoh eclipsed the Algerian, who had 61 assists, with a trio of decisive passes. Still active in the Premier League, he continues to be the top African assist provider in the history of the league with 67 offerings.
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