This is your moment Salah, seize it: Neil Humphreys
With other stars on the wane, the stage is his to claim
Mohamed Salah got his own narrative wrong last Saturday. He strayed offside and saw his goal disallowed against Brighton & Hove Albion.
He proved that he was human after all.
But there's no fun in observing a rare error. If we wanted to examine the limitations of humanity, a mirror would suffice. The Liverpool forward must be in the superhuman business, at least until the Ballon d'Or is in the bag and he's bleating like a GOAT.
| LIVERPOOL | ATLETICO MADRID |
He's almost there. The stars are misaligning to leave him standing alone in his current, unrivalled greatness.
Lionel Messi pines for a lost Barcelona. Neymar remains a colossal talent in search of consistency and Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be sure who'll defeat him first: Old Father Time or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
There's room at the inn for a new GOAT and Salah is perilously close to knocking the door down. Another stellar performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League will obviously help, but he's got to go beyond tomorrow morning (Singapore time). He's got to own the season.
Unlike Messi and Ronaldo, those freakish metronomes of routine perfection, Salah's career has been one of gathering momentum, a frizzy-haired juggernaut hurtling towards a destiny that wasn't pre-determined.
There were many stops along the way. Most were beneficial - Basel, Fiorentina and AS Roma - with the unproductive detour at Chelsea, but the fullback turned into a winger, before turning into the dancing, twisting forward that leaves defenders with shattered central nervous systems.
His wonder goal against Manchester City was the quintessential Salah finish; low centre of gravity, blurred feet, perpetual motion, it was surely the Goal of the Season. Two weeks later, it wasn't even his best goal in October. Salah scored a better one against Watford.
His hat-trick against Manchester United made him the highest-scoring African player in the English Premier League with 107 goals. He's scored 10 in 10 EPL matches. In all competitions, he's up to 15 for the season (having created 27 chances). He's found the net in all three Champions League games.
Never mind walking like an Egyptian, he's taking flight like Michael Jordan. He rules like the Chicago Bull in his prime, dominating all aspects of Liverpool's attacking play, creating, assisting, scoring and winning with a consistency beyond even Juergen Klopp's exacting demands.
The Reds manager has already called it in Salah's favour. So has Gary Neville, for a bit of bipartisan balance. He's their GOAT, the best around by a country mile, which is hardly a controversial claim, based on current form.
But form can be temporary. GOATs must be permanent, or hang around for at least a season or two and Salah's left it a bit late for a shot at immortality. He'll be 30 next June. He'll be in Cameroon next January.
The African Nations Cup should remind Liverpool of the finite aspects of Salah's purple patch. Even if it lasts until the New Year, Egypt will enjoy the fruits of his labour.
Salah could miss up to eight games for the Reds.
Ironically, the same career goal has conflicting interests. The Ballon d'Or typically rewards good deeds for both club and country. Salah can't achieve both in January.
It's too simplistic to suggest that the Reds do not win when Salah does not score - even though that was the case against Brighton - but they may falter when their talisman is missing altogether.
With key games in all competitions coming up, Salah feels like an elite sprinter in the first leg of a relay, dashing to build a substantial lead for his teammates before handing the baton over in January and hoping they can maintain his initial advantage.
But then, there's a real sense of the Reds running against the clock. Salah and Mane will both join Roberto Firmino as 30-year-old forwards next year. Every second counts now.
It's no coincidence that Klopp insisted on a month-long fitness camp in pre-season. Without international commitments, his African footballers benefited from a full training schedule.
Every coaching decision has been in service of an ageing squad, especially Salah, who's reaping the rewards. He's never looked sharper or more settled.
The transfer speculation may fill column space, but the Egyptian isn't going anywhere. Staying at Liverpool represents his best chance of staying at the summit. He must take it.
The Ballon d'Or is waiting for him.
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