As Mo Salah and Andy Robertson leave Liverpool, it’s time to reflect on contributions to the recent greatness achieved, and build on it…
THEY BOTH go as legends.
Legend means their faces are etched into Anfield. In the stadium and streets.
Their names become a barometer for excellence. Part of us getting old and getting to tell those who weren’t here how good they were.
To say how special Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson are is to mention Roberto Firmino at nine, Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho. To wax lyrical about Gini Wijnaldum. To appreciate that all over the pitch excellence was achieved in that team.
They talk about those days as the best of their lives. They both believe they still have much to offer as players and they’re correct. But the time is right to leave Liverpool as winners in every sense of the word.
Nine years has become a snapshot. An eye blink in which we’ve got to know a little about how these men work. About their character and story. Robertson, the working class Scot whose entire career had felt on a knife edge until Alberto Moreno’s untimely injury against Spartak Moscow in late 2017.
Salah, a beacon of incessantly high demands on himself. But playful, bold and culturally relevant in a manner that not only few world figures have managed. An African and a Scouser. A Muslim and an icon.
Both arrive at Liverpool with points to prove but propelled by the petrol fire already lit by Jürgen Klopp. He supports, champions and exudes positivity whilst demanding the highest physical and technical standards possible. Standards that would break others, but not these two.
Robertson has been talking about the joy of the journey all week. About how it’s so much better climbing the mountain than reaching its apex. Perhaps part of the reason why he, Salah and everyone else are in turmoil is because the terrain is so flat in every sense.
The deaths of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva is another thing I’m glad Robertson has repeatedly mentioned. The players have endured a season of mental and therefore physical anguish and it’s shown. Salah stated after Jota’s passing that he was ‘scared’ to return to Liverpool. It tells you everything about what they’ve been through, and why a change might be best for everyone.
Erling Haaland’s injury time strike against Bournemouth means we should be able to give these two the perfect send off without incident. Of course, nobody will want to lose on Sunday, not least the two players in question.
But both players should be celebrated in the flesh one last time. They are choosing to leave Liverpool the right way, unlike their former captain who will be in Brentford’s ranks.
I’ll always be bitter about how Jordan Henderson left Liverpool. The reason will always be because he should have viewed being captain of the club a responsibility that outweighs money or playing time insecurities. It was an honour he fought so hard to achieve and so easy to throw away.
Oh, and by the way, Wataru Endo made 43 appearances in 2023-24, the same number as Henderson in his final season. So nobody can make the argument he wouldn’t have played as much. Not least Jordan.
Caoimhin Kelleher will rightly get a rousing reception when he runs towards The Kop.
Four players who represented a special time in Liverpool history. Over in Manchester, another era so prevalent to this one will end when Pep Guardiola waves goodbye to Manchester City.
For Liverpool, the future remains uncertain. The clamour for the old has never been greater, but nor has the need to look forward and reset. To rid ourselves of all aspects of recent history and build something else.
That is going to take so much trust and certain people must earn it from scratch. I agree with Salah, Liverpool must win with a certain style.
That doesn’t mean going backwards. Both he and Robertson became part of a new generation of greatness for this club as they will forever be revered for their roles.
The biggest test of all is now to build something new. And everyone will need to pull together.
