Salah defended his record when speaking at Elland Road, and compared himself to England captain Harry Kane – delivering what he felt was a reminder to those inside and outside of Liverpool who have forgotten what he is capable of.
A level of arrogance is perhaps to be expected in all elite athletes, and some believe it has powered Salah to the heights he and Liverpool have reached.
“He is a really nice guy, considering the success he has had – being a superstar around the globe,” says James Milner – Liverpool’s vice-captain during most of Salah’s time at the club.
“He plays as if he has a chip on his shoulder. He wants to be the best at everything – he even got a chess teacher to improve his game, and gave me a thumping a good few times.
“You need different types of leaders, and Mo is a big leader in that group, in terms of the standards he set every day. When you have young players come and sign, they see him and it’s ‘this is what it takes to be a top player, this is what it is to be a Liverpool player’.”
That desire to always be the best became competition – fraught at times – with team-mate Sadio Mane, Liverpool’s other flying forward who played on the opposite wing to Salah for five seasons.
“Were they best friends? No,” Klopp says. “Could Mo have passed the ball a few times when he tried to finish it off himself? Yes. But on the pitch they supported each other, they fought for each other.”
