Mohamed Salah to Leave Liverpool At the End of the Season

posted on: Apr 1, 2026

By Jake Harris / Arab America Contributing Writer

Egyptian soccer legend Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool F.C after a historic career. Salah will go down as one of the greatest players in the history of the English Premier League. Nicknamed the “Egyptian King” by Liverpool supporters, Salah has been part of two Premier League title winning teams and is third in Liverpool’s all time leading goal scorers list. 

Early Career

Salah started his career playing domestically in Egypt with Al Mowkaloon. In 2012, the Egyptian Premier League was suspended due to the Port Said Stadium Riot when fan riots led to the death of 74 people. The suspension of the season gave the national team ample time to prepare for the upcoming Olympics. As a result, exhibitions or “friendly” matches were scheduled.

Egypt’s under-23 national team was invited to compete in a friendly against FC Basel from Switzerland. Basel used this match to evaluate Salah should they want to sign him. He impressed evaluators greatly in the match and later made his first move to European soccer. Salah spent two years at Basel before being signed by English Premier League giants Chelsea in 2014. He found it difficult to break into Chelsea’s starting lineup as the roster was so deep. Mohamed Salah’s time at Roma in Italy is where he revitalized his career, scoring 34 goals in 83 games with the club. 

Salah joins Liverpool: Breakout Season

June 22nd 2017 will go down as a major day in the storied history of Liverpool FC. Liverpool paid Roma approximately 34 million pounds for Salah’s services, a fee that would later prove to be the bargain of the century. Liverpool is one of England’s most storied clubs that had been enduring an extensive period of mediocrity by the club’s standards.

The 2017-18 season is when this started to change. Under manager Jurgen Klopp, the club was ascending back to the top of the English game. Mohamed Salah’s numbers in the season were outrageous. 44 goals in 52 appearances led Liverpool fans to immediately find a new favorite. Labelled “The Egyptian King” in fan chants that spread across the terraces of the stadium on matchdays. While Liverpool didn’t compete for the Premier League title, the club reached the final of the Champions League, Europe’s top club competition. A major step forward for the club. 

Champions of Europe, Champions of England

The 18/19 campaign is when Liverpool officially reestablished itself as one of the world’s most elite clubs. They were in a two-club race for the Premier League title. Manchester City, who dominated the season before, had a rival who would push them to the absolute limit. Both teams were nearly perfect the whole way. Of the 38 matches, Liverpool won 30, drew 7 and only lost 1 match. Somehow, against all odds they finished one point short of Manchester City, heartbreakingly finishing in 2nd place. No team in history had ever amassed 97 points, and didn’t win the league title.

Not all was lost however, they had the final of the Champions League, a chance to end the season as European champions. Two minutes into the big match, Mohamed Salah scored a penalty kick giving Liverpool the lead. They went on to win the match 2-0 over London-based club Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool were champions of Europe for the 6th time. 

In the 19/20 season, the mission was clear: win the Premier League. The club had not been Champions of England in 30 years. It was about to change, Liverpool absolutely ran away with it. Mohamed Salah was the club’s top goal scorer as Liverpool were out of sight by the new year. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the last part of the season being played behind closed doors. 

Player of the Year in 2025

Mohamed Salah has continued to be Liverpool’s ace. In the 24/25 season in which Liverpool won the title, Salah was the Premier League’s player of the season. On top of 34 goals, Salah amassed 23 assists, having one of the best statistical seasons in the history of the English game. 

Personal Life and Important Causes

Salah is a devout Muslim who has been open about his faith, even in the backdrop of political tensions over Islam, and immigration in the UK recently. A Stanford University study done in 2019 found that anti-Muslim sentiment in the Liverpool area actually decreased in correlation with Salah’s rise to stardom at the club. 

Salah has been outspoken on the Palestinian cause, donating to relief efforts for Gaza. Upon the death of Suleiman Obeid, a member of the Palestinian national team, Salah criticized the governing body of European soccer (UEFA) for a post memorializing him without mentioning who killed him and how he died. 

Salah’s final season, fallout with Arne Slot

The 2025-26 season is Salah’s last at Liverpool. The team has struggled to defend the title, and Salah had a public falling out with manager Arne Slot in the middle of the season. Liverpool’s struggles led to Slot often leaving Salah out of the starting lineup. Mohamed Salah saw this as an effort to throw him under the bus and scapegoat him for the team’s struggles. Salah is back in the team getting consistent minutes, but the incident was somewhat of a confirmation that his time with the club was waning. Mohamed Salah is linked with a multitude of possible moves, one of which is the possibility that he plays in the United States with Major League Soccer. This is a common move for legends hitting their mid to late thirties.

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