Mohamed Salah has announced he will leave Liverpool at the end of the current season, and the Reds looked very different back when he made his debut nine years ago
Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring during the Premier League match between Watford and Liverpool at Vicarage Road on August 12, 2017 in Watford, England. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring during the Premier League match between Watford and Liverpool at Vicarage Road on August 12, 2017 in Watford, England. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Liverpool have announced that club legend Mohamed Salah will leave Anfield this summer, bringing the curtain down on an extraordinary nine year spell in red.
When the Egyptian arrived from Roma for a club record fee in 2017, few could’ve foreseen what he would go on to achieve. Two Premier League titles, a Champions League, and two domestic cups later, Salah leaves a bonafide legend - sitting third in the Reds’ all-time goalscoring rankings - and as the Premier League’s top foreign goalscorer.
Liverpool was a different club when he signed nine years ago. Jurgen Klopp’s side were still establishing themselves as competitors after an encouraging 2016/17 campaign. Salah made his debut in a 3-3 draw with Watford at Vicarage Road, on 12 August 2017.
Future Everton manager Marco Silva was in charge of the Hornets that day - the day he gave a debut to a certain Richarlison. Abdoulaye Doucoure was also on the scoresheet.
For Liverpool, goals came courtesy of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Salah - a sign of things to come. Miguel Britos’ stoppage time goal meant the sides had to settle for a point a piece on the opening day. But where is that Liverpool team now?
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Simon Mignolet
A year before the arrival of Alisson, Simon Mignolet was still Klopp’s number one. The goalkeeper left the club in 2019 to join Club Brugge in his native Belgium, where he remains today at 38 years old.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
While Salah’s record-breaking golden boot win in the 2017/18 season made all the headlines, that year is also known as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s real breakthrough season.
The right-back played a key role as the Reds reached the Champions League final, and he was named the club’s Young Player of the Season for a second successive campaign.
After racking up 354 appearances in a successful spell for Liverpool, the 27-year-old joined Real Madrid last summer.
Dejan Lovren
In the days before Virgil van Dijk, Dejan Lovren marshalled Klopp’s defence.
Having followed Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert in swapping Southampton for Anfield in 2014, the Croatian spent six years on Merseyside.
After leaving for Zenit Saint-Petersburg in 2020, Lovren spent two years in Russia before returning to Lyon for a season. Now 36 years old, he plays his football in Greece with PAOK.
Joel Matip
A fan favourite on the Kop, Matip kicked off his second term with the Reds that afternoon at Vicarage Road.
The Cameroon international was a great club servant under Klopp and spent eight years playing for him, before announcing his retirement in 2024 at 33 years old. Matip recently returned to Anfield to see his former club face Tottenham.
Alberto Moreno
Signed by Brendan Rodgers in 2014, Alberto Moreno struggled to establish himself in his five years at Liverpool, particularly after the emergence of Andy Robertson.
Following his departure from Merseyside in 2019, he joined Villarreal, where he won the Europa League in 2021. Now 33, Moreno has been at Cesc Fabregas’ Como in Serie A since 2024.
Emre Can
Remembered for his outrageous goal of the season strike in the trip to Watford three months prior to Salah’s debut, Emre Can played 166 times across a four years spell with the Reds.
Having joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2018, the German international, now 32, has been plying his trade at Borussia Dortmund since 2020.
Jordan Henderson
Liverpool’s captain that day was, of course, Jordan Henderson. A club legend in every sense of the word, the midfielder racked up nearly 500 appearances for the Reds in his 12 year stint.
Upon his 2023 departure, Henderson linked back up with Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, before joining Ajax in January 2024. Now 35, he has enjoyed a very impressive season back in England with Brentford.
Georginio Wijnaldum
Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum was an ever-present at the height of Klopp’s Liverpool successes.
After five years at Anfield, the former Newcastle man joined PSG alongside Lionel Messi in 2021. Following a loan spell at Roma, 35-year-old Wijnaldum has been at Al-Ettifaq for the last three years.
Roberto Firmino
Another Liverpool legend, Roberto Firmino was also part of the mass exodus of footballers that swapped Europe for Saudi Arabia in 2023.
His magical eight years on Merseyside were followed by a free transfer to Al Ahli. Last summer, the 34-year-old moved on again, joining Al-Sadd in Qatar, where he is managed by Roberto Mancini.
Sadio Mane
Staying with the Middle-Eastern theme, Salah’s accomplice Sadio Mane has been with Saudi side Al-Nassr for the last three seasons.
In between his move to Cristiano Ronaldo’s team and his departure from Liverpool, the Senegalese legend, now 33, spent a sole season at Bayern Munich.
Mohamed Salah
Last year Salah was instrumental in Liverpool’s 20th league title win. While this season hasn’t quite gone to plan for the Egyptian or Arne Slot’s side, the legacy he leaves behind certainly can’t be questioned, nor can that of Klopp’s great side, of which even fewer players now remain.