255 goals. 435 appearances. One Premier League title, one Champions League, and now a goodbye that came a year earlier than anyone planned. Mohamed Salah is leaving Liverpool, and Jamie Carragher isn't waiting to start writing his place in history.
"In an all-time Premier League XI, Salah is an automatic inclusion in the front three alongside Henry and Ronaldo," Carragher wrote in his Telegraph column. But the more pointed claim came just before that — that when judged strictly on Premier League performance, Salah edges Ronaldo. The argument being that Ronaldo's United stints, both as a teenager and on his ill-fated return, sandwiched his absolute peak at Real Madrid. Salah's best years and his Premier League years were the same thing.
Only Henry ranks higher
Carragher's full ranking places only Thierry Henry above Salah among overseas attackers in the league's history. Ronaldo, Hazard, Zola, Bergkamp, Cantona — all get named, none get the nod. The case isn't sentimental. It's the numbers, season after season, with barely a dip until this final, awkward year at Anfield.
That final year matters as context. Salah was dropped for a stretch of games late in 2024. He told reporters the club had "thrown me under the bus." Liverpool then confirmed Tuesday that he'd "reached an agreement" to leave 12 months before his contract expired. The official statement was six paragraphs. Salah's Instagram post was more human.
"I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, these people would become part of my life," he wrote. "Unfortunately the day has come."
What Liverpool lose next season
The 33-year-old's departure reshapes Liverpool's attacking picture significantly. His goals-per-game rate across nine seasons is the kind of output clubs spend half a decade trying to replace. Whoever fills that right-side role next season will carry serious scrutiny from day one — and Liverpool's forward-line odds for 2025/26 look considerably thinner without him.
Carragher's verdict is already written. Salah didn't just play well in England. By this argument, only one player in the league's history did it better.
