Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes once named a Liverpool player as the ‘best worst footballer in the world,’ describing his playing style as “ugly.” It’s a debate that never really goes away - what actually makes a player good? In the modern game, how a player looks on the ball is often judged just as closely as how productive they are in terms of goals and assists.
Scholes was always lucky in that he had both throughout his Premier League career. His manager, the great Sir Alex Ferguson, always saw him as more likened to a Spanish midfielder given his technical ability, while his long-range goals happened on such a frequent basis that his importance in two Champions Leagues and 11 topflight league titles cannot be undermined.
But back in December 2025, the ‘Ginger Prince’ sparked intrigue when he singled out one player who, despite being among the very best in the world, doesn’t quite pass the eye test. Effective? Undeniably. Easy on the eye? Not quite - earning him Scholes’ label as the ultimate “best worst” footballer.
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Paul Scholes
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The Englishman described Mohamed Salah - one of Liverpool's all-time greats - as a player who 'looks ugly at times' on the ball, even when the Egyptian King was scoring goals like he was in the 2024/25 campaign, which saw him become the first player to win Player of the Year, Golden Boot, Playmaker Award, and his second title. Scholes said on The Overlap (watch below):
"I always thought even when he was scoring goals, Mo Salah, he looks ugly at times. Some of the stuff he does. It bounced off his legs. He does some of the worst stuff you'll see from a centre forward... He can be the worst best footballer in the world."
At the time of Scholes’ comments, Salah’s immediate future was suddenly thrown into doubt after his interview in which he said he felt he had been “thrown under the bus” by manager Arne Slot, following a spell that saw the 33-year-old benched for three matches on the trot.
Since then, his form has improved, but his future has become clearer, with Salah now set to leave Anfield on a free transfer in the summer, with nine favourites to sign him emerging.
Mo Salah's Misunderstood Premier League Career
mohamed salah liverpool
One look at Salah’s highlight reel suggests Scholes’ view of him is flawed. Sure, the right-winger hasn’t been at his best this season, but his first touch, speed, dribbling, and creative play have been anything but an eyesore throughout his nine years at Anfield. During the 2024/25 season, Salah recorded a stunning 57 goal contributions (34 goals and 22 assists) in 52 matches.
Meanwhile, in his debut 2017/18 campaign, he broke the record for the most goals in a 38-game Premier League campaign (32). The consistency is ridiculous, but his catalogue of goals and assists is also easy on the eye, contrary to popular belief. His goal against Everton in 2018 won the Puskas Award that year (watch below), while his solo effort against Man City in 2021 was nominated for Goal of the Season.
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Salah’s output - 257 goals and 119 assists in 439 Liverpool appearances at the time of writing - is no joke, and he couldn’t have reached that world-class level by being the clunky, “ugly” player that one of his fiercest rival’s most iconic figures suggests. A winger needs the kind of agility and unpredictability Salah has shown to get out of tight spaces and into positions to deliver those numbers, especially when entire opposition tactics are built around stopping him.