The Egyptian is a role model to team-mates for his dedication to fitness and nutrition and it is little wonder fans are desperate for him to stay
Say the names Real Madrid and Mohamed Salah to any football fan and one image races to the front of the mind: that of the Liverpool forward being hauled to the floor by Sergio Ramos in the 2018 Champions League final and writhing in pain from a dislocated shoulder. The short and long-term ramifications were huge. It was 0-0 when Ramos pulled what Jurgen Klopp described as “a wrestling move” on Salah and forced him off in the 31st minute, paving the way for Madrid to go on and win the final 3-1.
Salah was left with physical and emotional scars. It torpedoed his preparations for the World Cup with Egypt as he missed the first game against Uruguay, later confessing he "cried on the bus and on the toilet" before that game. Although he scored in the other two games against Saudi Arabia and Russia, he was far from the peak of his powers as his side limped out of the tournament at the first hurdle, having lost all three group-stage matches. Salah later called it "the worst thing to happen to a player", and when Madrid and Liverpool were paired in the 2022 Champions League final, the Egyptian wrote on Twitter: "We have a score to settle".
Salah has not been able to settle that score. Liverpool lost that final too, and have been beaten by Madrid in five of the six games played since the Egyptian has been with the Reds, with an aggregate score of four to 13.
Wednesday's game at Anfield, however, is the perfect occasion for the Reds and the red-hot Salah to at last exact revenge and beat European football's aristocrats. Liverpool are top of the Premier League table and led the Champions League standings after four rounds too, having won 16 out of 18 games in a record-breaking start to the campaign under new boss Arne Slot.
Whatever happens on Wednesday will not erase the memory of what happened in Kyiv. The final had a lasting effect on Salah, and for all the misery it caused him, it has made him the man he is today: the best player in the Premier League once again, in the best shape of his life and with Liverpool fans urging the club to do whatever it takes to tie him to a new contract and keep him.
(C)Getty ImagesFuelled by Kyiv
The wrangle with Ramos made Salah think seriously about his physical shape and turned him into the outstanding physical specimen he is today, the perfect picture of health and an unbelievable footballer who has already directly contributed to 22 goals this season.
According to sources, Salah went away after Kyiv and made a vow to himself that he was going to come back and never limp off or kicked out of a game in that way. The clash accelerated a certain kind of training from the forward, who decided to strengthen his upper body and his joints. He was in good shape when he came to Liverpool, but there's no doubt that in the last three, four or five years, he's gone up several levels in terms of physique. Being forced off early in the biggest game of his career and then having to miss half of the World Cup is believed to have played a big part in his obsession with being stronger and more well built. "Everything happens for a reason, I believe, and you have to deal with it," Salah told in 2022.
To get an idea of how much Salah has bulked up in the last few years, look at the difference in his physique between when he first ripped his shirt off to celebrate a goal at Southampton in April 2019, and when he did the same after burying his penalty in the 3-2 win on Sunday. His shoulders are broader, and his abdominal muscles are bigger and more pronounced.
AdvertisementInstagramEverything linked to performance
Some players joke about Salah having his shirt off all the time, but there is a deep respect for his professionalism. The Egyptian is always the first player to arrive at Liverpool’s AXA training ground, often reporting two hours before a group session to either go to the gym, do yoga, have an ice bath or do pre-activation.
The forward has become a role model to many players, past and present, when it comes to nutrition and diet. In the canteen, both experienced players and youngsters will ask the staff what Salah ate and then order the same. They will also look to mimic his fitness routines.
Salah has been described as "absolutely obsessed with training and fitness", with everything he does linked to his performance, be it to eke out an extra year in his career, or an extra 10 goals in a season. The forward has spoken of being inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still breaking records at the age of 39, and Francesco Totti, who kept going until he was 40.
Salah said earlier this month: "Cristiano was also the one when I started playing in Europe more, you see the way he dedicated everything to football is insane, the way he looks after himself. You can see everything, his numbers. But these guys I looked at when I was young and I just wished to play one game with them, or to be like them one day. I had a good opportunity to play with Totti and I played with him for two years in Rome. It was an incredible time, I just loved it."
Salah is also described as being a big voice in the dressing room, a loud and upbeat character, not a brooding superstar who keeps to himself.
AFPSelf-help gurus and chess
As well as taking the physical side of the game deadly seriously, Salah believes in mental training. He is an avid chess player, a passion he shares with Premier League coaches Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca. It means he is always switched on and is ahead of the game; the fact his brain is always engaged has helped his evolution.
When he arrived at Liverpool, he was seen as a dribbler above all and then he became a poacher, scoring a then-Premier League record 32 goals in his debut season while contributing 10 assists. He has become even more creative in the last few years, setting up 35 league goals in his last seasons. This season, Salah already has 10 assists in all competitions in addition to his 12 goals. He has also worked more on creating goals with the outside of his foot, and more recently improving his shooting with his right foot.
Salah's quest to always improve can be seen in how he studies success coaches like Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar and Napoleon Hill. There is a lot of cynicism about self-help gurus, but for Salah it has worked. He also sought the advice of someone with more relevant experience…
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Getty Images Sport'Great players stay in the game'
Arsene Wenger visited Liverpool's old Melwood training ground after he had left Arsenal, and Salah asked him what separated the great players from the very good players. Wenger told him, 'great players stay in the game right to the end. Even if a game is not going their way, even if they're having a bad day, the great players will still be there until the final whistle.'
Salah has taken that advice on board: his last five goals in the Premier League have been scored in the final third of matches. Three of them have come in the last 10 minutes and made a huge difference to the scoreline: the equaliser at Arsenal, the clinching second goal against Aston Villa and the winner at Southampton. The things he does to engage his brain off the pitch, to test his concentration, have surely helped.
"I know there are some games I don't have the momentum, but I'm always focused in the game to finish stuff," Salah said in a club interview with Andy Robertson and Alisson this month. "I always find the momentum. I'm not always very good in the game, it's normal, but I always try to find a way to change a game. Some players don't accept the feeling and keep fighting it, but if you accept it, it's nothing. It's more your imagination. It's ok to feel that way, It's OK to have a bad game, but the most important thing is to stay in the game and try to make a difference."
That attitude explains why Salah is so rarely substituted, even when it does not appear to be his day. This season he has only been taken off three times before the 90th minute, and only when Liverpool were already winning.