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If you are remotely associated with European football or following it in any way, then you have definitely heard of Mohamed Salah this season. The Liverpool no.11 has been in devastating form in his debut season with the Reds as he continues to surpass everyone's expectations, including his own.
The Egyptian is leading the race for the Premier League Golden Boot as well as the European Golden Shoe, which provide a key measure of his achievements this season. The highlight of Salah's exploits is his consistency as he regularly bamboozles opposition defenders with his pace, skill and a lethal left foot while delivering for Liverpool every single time, with the latest being in the Champions League quarterfinals against Manchester City.
Thus, the 25-year old is breaking records for fun this season and already has erased a few previous ones. So, let's take a look at 5 records the wide forward has already made his own this season (as of 13th April 2018).
#5 Top-scoring Egyptian in Premier League history
Kicking off the records is one related to Salah's homeland, Egypt. He is already the leading Egyptian goalscorer in the Premier League with 29 goals, seven more than his countryman Mido. The latter scored 22 goals in the English top-flight playing for Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Wigan Athletic and West Ham.
Thus, Salah has usurped his compatriot with relative ease in a single season and can be expected to score a good amount by the time he is done in England. Further, in last month's game against Watford at Anfield, he became the first Egyptian to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, as the speedster bagged four goals, rising higher into the spotlight.
#4 Premier League Player of the Month domination
As the name suggests, the Premier League Player of the Month is awarded to the best player in the league in a particular month. The award was first presented to Jurgen Klinsmann in August 1994 and has never seen a player win it more than twice in a single season in the past 24 years until Salah arrived.
The Egyptian became the first player in Premier League history to win the famous award thrice in a single season. He won it for last November and for February and March this year, creating another piece of history for himself. The achievement acquires more significance when one considers the supreme talents that have graced the league over the decades yet, none have won it thrice in a single season.
Now, Salah is already on his way to beat the record for most Player of the Month awards in one's career of six, held jointly by Tottenham's Harry Kane and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
#4 Left-foot fury
Left-footed footballers are a rare commodity and bring a different element to their teams. The Premier League has seen several left-footed goalscorers but none have scored more than Salah in a single season.
The wide forward has 22 goals using his left foot from his total of 29, already three more than Robbie Fowler, who scored 19 left-footed goals for Liverpool in the 1994/95 season. Behind Fowler is former Arsenal and Manchester United star, Robin van Persie, who scored 18 and 17 goals with his left peg in 2012./13 and 2011/12 respectively.
Salah broke the record back in February and can comfortably establish a healthy lead with five more games to go.
#2 First-season wonder
Liverpool have seen quite a few players adapting from the word go and become fan favourites in their first seasons itself. When it comes to goalscorers, Fernando Torres won over the fanbase almost instantaneously with his pace, finishing and the special connection with Gerrard standing out.
Subsequently, Torres held the record for scoring the most number of goals in the debut season with 33 in the 2007/08 season. Salah currently has 39 goals. The Egyptian still has a minimum of seven games to play this season and can be expected to comfortably add to the pile. Thus, it can be argued that the 25-year old is having the best first-season for an attacker at Liverpool.
#5 Liverpool's Premier League goal-king
Continuing from above, Salah also holds the record for the highest number of goals scored in a season for the Merseyside club in the Premier League era. The speed merchant overtook the previous record of 36 goals, held by club legend Robbie Fowler, who achieved the feat in the 1995/96 season.
Again, considering the number of games left to play, it just highlights the magnitude of Salah's achievement this season. Further, he broke this record and the previous ones which were mostly held by proper strikers while the former Roma man is doing it from out wide. Thus, it has truly been a stunning season for fans and neutrals alike watching him do it every week.
Now, let's take a look at the records Salah can still break before the season ends in May.
#5 Most consistent Premier League goalscorer
Salah can break two records in his next Premier League outing when he puts the ball in the back of the net. The first one is that of the highest number of goals scored by an African in a single Premier League season, a record the Liverpool man shares with Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend, Didier Drogba, who also scored 29 goals in the 2009/10 season for the Blues.
The second record instantly will take Salah to the upper echelons of Premier League goalscorers as he will become the first player to score in the most number of games in a season. Currently, the Egyptian is tied with Cristiano Ronaldo (2007/08 season) and Robin van Persie (2012/13 season), with all three scoring in 21 different Premier League games in a 38-game season.
Salah has five more games to score and become the sole holder of the record, making it very likely to happen in the coming days.
#4 Champion League's African King
Salah is set to face his former club AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League semifinals and will break a couple of records if he scores against them. The first one is the most number of goals scored in a single European campaign for Liverpool, a record he shares with team-mate Roberto Firmino. Both the forwards have scored 8 goals this season and broke the previous record of 7 goals, held by Steven Gerrard (2008/09 season) and Roger Hunt (1964/65 season).
Thus, the race is on between the duo to make the record their own in the next few UCL matches. On the other hand, Salah has a great chance to score the most number of goals by an African player in a single UCL campaign. The record is currently held by former Barcelona and Cameroon striker, Samuel Eto'o, who also scored eight in the 2010/11 season with Inter Milan.
Thus, Salah has a great chance to serve himself a couple of pieces of Champions League history in his next game.
#3 Premier League goalscoring legend
Salah on 29 goals needs only two more goals to match the most number of goals scored in a 38-game Premier League campaign. Luis Suarez for Liverpool (2013/14 season), Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United (2007/08 season) and Alan Shearer for Blackburn (1995/96 season) are the ones who currently share the record with 31 goals.
The Egyptian has five games left to not only match but also break the record this season. Another huge record in his sights is the one held by Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry. The Frenchman currently holds the Premier League record for most number of goal involvements in a season with 44 (24 goals, 20 assists), a feat he achieved in the 2002/03 season. Now, Salah is currently on 38 goal involvements (29 goals, 9 assists) and has a great chance of eclipsing Henry's record before the season ends.
These records show the phenomenal success of Salah this season as each of these players had successful goalscoring seasons prior to etching their names into record books. On the other hand, the Liverpool no.11 is having his breakthrough season in the Premier League after a failed spell with Chelsea a few years back.
#2 Outscoring not just players
Outscoring present and past individual players is one thing. Scoring more than an entire Premier League team is another. Now, Salah is in a great position to become the first player in English top-flight history to outscore more than two teams in a single season. The left-footed attacker's tally of 29 goals is currently higher than the entire goals tally of West Brom, Huddersfield and Swansea City and is equal to Brighton's tally.
In the 2016/17 season, Tottenham's Harry Kane scored 29 goals, which eclipsed Middlesbrough's tally of 27 goals and matched Sunderland's who scored 29 goals. Thus, the Egyptian will have a great chance of creating a stunning record for himself if he continues to score at the current rate.
#1 Liverpool's highest goalscorer in a single season
Anfield has witnessed more than a few elite goalscorers during its chequered history. Now, Salah has a golden opportunity to put himself among the absolute top in only his first-ever season with the Merseyside club. First up is the most number of goals in a single top-flight season, a record held by Ian Rush, who scored 32 goals in the 1983/84 season. The current no.11 needs only 4 goals in the remaining 5 games to eclipse that record.
The more enticing one is also held by Rush, who is arguably the greatest goalscorer to put on a Reds shirt. The Welshman scored 47 goals across all competitions in the same 1983/84 season, a tally surpassed by none in Liverpool history. Now, Salah is on 39 goals for the season and needs nine more goals to break the seemingly-impossible record. Considering his form, position in Klopp's system and a maximum of 8 games to play, the 25-year old has a great chance to take Rush's crown and etch his name deeper into the Reds' history.
There is no doubt we are witnessing a truly stunning season from Salah and the above records which he has either broken or is chasing are a testament to that fact. While question marks remain whether he can sustain this form in the upcoming seasons, but those can wait until the next season.
For now, the 2017/18 season marks the rise of Mohamed Salah as a force on the pitch both on the domestic front as well as the European front.
