Mohamed Salah has become a global phenomenon, with his exploits during a remarkable debut season at Liverpool seeing him showered with praise and prestigious awards.
When those at Anfield sanctioned the £36.9 million ($49m) purchase of the Egyptian forward from Roma, few could have predicted the impact he would make on Merseyside.
Having previously flopped in England during a forgettable stint at Chelsea, the 25-year-old has gone on to take Premier League and Champions League competition by storm.
Here, Goal takes a look at Salah’s stunning achievements during the 2017-18 campaign, with his heroics on the field delivering rich rewards off it – with the promise of more to come!
How many goals has Mohamed Salah scored for Liverpool?
With Liverpool having made him their record signing in June 2017, Salah opened his competitive goal account on his Premier League debut against Watford.
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He reached double figures in the English top-flight in just 13 outings – equalling the Reds record previously set by Daniel Sturridge.
Salah had 20 goals in all competitions by Christmas – with Ian Rush the only other man to have managed that feat for Liverpool – while he would beat Fernando Torres and Sturridge to 20 in the Premier League.
Mido’s mark of most goals by an Egyptian in English football was smashed by February, as was the record for most left-footed efforts – with Anfield icon Robbie Fowler knocked from that particular perch.
A first hat-trick arrived when putting four past Watford in March, before going on to reach the 40-goal mark, with Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez passed in a 38-game Premier League campaign.
In total, Salah found the target against 17 different opponents in the league – no player can claim to have bettered that tally – with his 32 efforts seeing him wrestle top goalscorer bragging rights from Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
| Competition | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 36 | 32 |
| Champions League | 15 | 11 |
| FA Cup | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 52 | 44 |
What awards did Mohamed Salah win in 2017-18?
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Unsurprisingly, given how prolific and consistent he proved to be, Salah ended the season with an individual trophy haul which would make Barcelona and Real Madrid icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo proud.
Collective prizes once again proved elusive for Liverpool, as they fell at the final hurdle in Champions League competition, but their talismanic forward swept the board in England and caught the eye in Europe.
| Salah's roll of honour |
|---|
| ANNUAL AWARDS |
| PFA Player of the Year |
| FWA Footballer of the Year |
| Premier League Player of the Season |
| Liverpool's Player of the Season |
| Liverpool's Players' Player of the Season |
| CAF African Footballer of the Year |
| BBC African Footballer of the Year |
| Arab Footballer of the Year |
| Premier League Golden Boot |
| MONTHLY AWARDS |
| Premier League Player of the Month x3 |
| PFA Player of the Month x4 |
| Liverpool's Player of the Month x7 |
| Liverpool's Goal of the Month x6 |
| WEEKLY AWARDS |
| Champions League Player of the Week x2 |
| Champions League Goal of the Week x2 |
| TEAM AWARDS |
| PFA Team of the Year |
| CAF Team of the Year |
What’s next for Mohamed Salah?
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The sky would appear to be the limit for a man who now sits comfortably alongside the global elite.
A 44-goal haul is a remarkable achievement for anybody not named Messi or Ronaldo but the challenge now is replicating those heroics, or at least getting close.
Salah has more than enough talent in his locker to ensure that he is no one-season wonder at Liverpool, but he will be a marked man in 2018-19 as domestic and continental foes seek to better contain his obvious threat.
If he can keep his personal bar at its current height, then there is every reason to believe that a standing as a modern day Premier League legend will be quickly secured – as will a place in Anfield folklore.
Before all of that, though, Salah has international commitments with Egypt to contend with, with his goals having led the Pharaohs to their first World Cup appearance since 1990.
An untimely injury in the Champions League final threatened to dash those dreams as he was forced from the field in tears after tangling with Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos, but initial fears have since been calmed.
A few eye-catching showings on a global stage and more productivity on the domestic front should ensure that talk of a tilt at the 2018 Ballon d’Or grows in intensity, along with links to the likes of Real Madrid, with it possible that the biggest prizes for Salah are still to come.