Since joining Liverpool in the summer of 2017, Mohamed Salah has scored 10 goals in opening-day fixtures, two more than anyone else to have played in the English Premier League (EPL). On Friday night at Anfield, his goal deep in stoppage time lent gloss to what was an otherwise nervous second-half performance from the champions. After leading 2-0 through goals from Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo, some careless defending and the brilliance of Antoine Semenyo had seen Liverpool pegged back to 2-2 by a spirited Bournemouth side. It needed an 88th-minute wonder goal from Federico Chiesa, his first in the league, and Salah’s calm right-foot finish to ensure that Arne Slot’s team escaped embarrassment on the opening weekend.
But more than his goal, it was what Salah did afterwards that caught global attention. Even as the fans on the famous Kop waved their flags and sang songs in memory of Diogo Jota – the No. 20 who was tragically killed in a car crash in Spain on July 3 – Salah wandered towards them and acknowledged their gesture in memory of his former colleague. He was visibly emotional as he walked back to the dressing room, wiping away tears with his jersey sleeve.
As much as Bournemouth, emotion was what Liverpool’s players had to contend with, as both the Kop and the Kenny Dalglish Stand showed off huge mosaics in honour of Jota and Andre Silva, his brother who also died in the accident, during the minute of silence before kick-off. Salah, who played alongside Jota for five seasons, seemed most affected by it, though he grew into the game as it went on.
Though he has usually steered clear of leveraging his immense popularity and fame, especially in the Arab world, there have been signs recently that Salah is more prepared to use his influence for causes he believes in. Having made several social-media statements about the tragedy unfolding in Gaza since the conflict began nearly two years ago, he was at his most direct nearly a week before the football season kicked off.
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On August 9, UEFA’s official account on X tweeted: “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the 'Palestinian Pelé'. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.” Al-Obeid had been killed during yet another wave of Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Not long after, Salah replied to the UEFA message with a pointed one of his own. “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?” it said. Though UEFA didn’t respond at the time, it probably wasn’t a coincidence that before the UEFA Super Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur kicked off in Udine, a huge banner was placed on the turf which said: “Stop Killing Children. Stop Killing Civilians”.
For Liverpool fans, Salah is the Egyptian King. But as he approaches the final phase of a storied and record-breaking career, it seems clear that his perspective takes in more than just the football pitch.
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