"Liverpool is bigger than any individual, but it is strange how the manager is with him. He is the greatest leader he has and should be his captain."
Mamdouh Eid, current president of Pyramids FC, is one of the most powerful businessmen in Egyptian football. He has maintained a close relationship to one of the world's greatest forwards, and firmly established Liverpool legend, Mohamed Salah, throughout his ascent to the top of world football right up until the present day.
Eid makes a weighty argument given everything 31-year-old Salah has achieved at Anfield since his arrival from AS Roma. Three Premier League Golden Boots are among Salah's stack of individual honours, while his goals have helped Liverpool end a drought spanning a generation following their Premier League title win in 2020 - their first English league crown in 30 years.
There's also the small matter of Champions League glory - with Salah the key contributor as he scored early in the Madrid final win over Tottenham in 2019. Few players, if any, can claim to have made an impact as big as Salah on Merseyside since his arrival.
Salah started out at Arab Contractors FC as a 14-year-old in 2006, a club founded by Eid's grandfather, the late contracting billionaire Osman Ahmed Osman. They have remained tight-knit ever since.
Understandably, Eid is immensely proud of the journey Salah has been on throughout his career. From Basel to London, Florence to Rome and finally Merseyside, it's been quite the rollercoaster. Salah has become a legendary figure in Egypt, one of Africa's greatest ever sportspeople and an instantly recognised figure around the world.
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But it's not been plain-sailing for Salah of late. Despite impressing in the club's opening game of the new Premier League season, setting up a goal as well as having one disallowed, Salah was hauled off before the end of the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He shook the hands of his teammates but it was clear to see Salah's frustration at being withdrawn.
"I can understand because if Mo scored it would have been a new record for goals scored in the opening game but I didn’t think about that. We needed stability and we needed fresh legs," Klopp said of Salah's reaction after the game.
Eid told 90min that even in difficult moments, Salah's love for the club does not wane.
"Every situation he goes into in his career he always manages to come up with the best decision, he has a huge love for Liverpool and has done so much for them in the Premier League and always does what he can do for the club,” Eid said.
But Eid does feel some sympathy for his compatriot, especially in the wake of being overlooked for the club's captaincy following the departure of Jordan Henderson. Virgil van Dijk was the player chosen to succeed Henderson but it wasn't necessarily a universal choice - especially from Eid's point of view.
“Liverpool is bigger than any individual but it is strange how the manager is with him [Salah], he is the greatest leader he has and should be his captain, but they don’t use him,” Eid explained.
“He has taken his country to the World Cup and through the toughest moments, but that is not enough for him to be captain of Liverpool. He has never shown less commitment, he is not selfish, he produces everything, every season, but I don’t think the manager has been fair to him."
He has taken his country to the World Cup and through the toughest moments but that is not enough for him to be captain of Liverpool.Eid on overlooking Salah for captain“He is currently their best player and one the best in the history of the club when you look at goals scored and assists. Trying to belittle his consistent desire, work, passion and achievements is unacceptable. Salah is very humble and loves the club very much. He would never stop at that.
“It was clear he wanted to stay on and help the team win and was not happy the team wasn’t winning,” Eid continued. “It is okay for the coach to have a different view, but also okay for Salah to want to stay on.
“Despite any challenge he has, he comes out on top and has become the finest player ever to come from his nation of 120 million people. He still doesn’t stop working and trying. Only he understands the full extent of what has happened but no matter what he has done so much more than anyone ever expected.”
One thing Eid is convinced by is Salah's standing among the list of Liverpool's all-time greats. He is closing in on 200 goals in all competitions for the club having scored at least 30 times in four of his six seasons as a red - levels few others have ever been able to achieve.
“He has been the best player for a long time and nobody can be compared with him in terms of consistency," Eid said of his performances over the past half-dozen years. "Salah will remain up there with the greatest player’s in Liverpool’s history."
This article was originally published on 90min as 'It's strange how he is with him' - Mamdouh Eid questions Jurgen Klopp's treatment of Mohamed Salah.
