Mohamed Salah has his fair share of records and triumphs over Man United. But he’s managed to add a new one to both columns without even kicking a ball.
It has been a disappointing spell for Liverpool and Salah, with Champions League and Carabao Cup hopes going up in smoke. As a result, the Ballon d’Or will also now be far harder to claim.
But a look at the league table provides some welcome context. Not only is Liverpool 12 points clear at the top, it is 33 points ahead of Manchester United, which looks doomed not to get any kind of European football at all next season unless it can somehow win the Europa League.
Quite how that fits into Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plan to be the most profitable club in the world within three years, while building a $2 billion stadium at the same time, remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Liverpool is likely to be officially back on its perch soon, with a record-equalling 20th title in sight.
In a project begun by Jurgen Klopp and well on its way to completion under Arne Slot, Man Utd is well and truly sick of the sight of Liverpool once again. And it’s particularly sick of Salah.
Man Utd is statistically Salah’s favorite opponent (Tottenham Hotspur and Man City complete the top three — not bad for someone who supposedly doesn’t deliver in big games). In 17 games against the Old Trafford outfit, he has netted 16 goals, registering six assists as well.
To make that all the more remarkable, Salah didn’t score or assist in any of his first four meetings with Man Utd. But he has been the scourge of the Red Devils in more recent times, punishing them with incredible regularity.
And as he stands on the verge of the outright record for goal contributions in a single Premier League season on the pitch, Salah has reached a new milestone off it. He now boasts 64.5 million Instagram followers, which is more than Man Utd has in total.
It’s worth stating straight off the bat that it is also more followers than Liverpool has, and by a significantly greater margin. But at least for the Reds, everything is going right in a footballing sense — all Man Utd has to cling onto is its commercial standing, and even that has now been overtaken by Brand Salah.
All of Ratcliffe’s lofty predictions rely on the stature of the club. Yet Salah’s latest achievement is a stark reminder that Man Utd is truly not that special in that particular department.
Yes, a brand could get significant exposure by securing the naming rights to New Trafford, and plenty will surely be queueing up to do so. Yet a plug on Salah’s Instagram would get even more reach.
Naturally, Salah won’t be celebrating this one with anything like the gusto of any of his 16 goals. The Ballon d’Or committee doesn’t look at follower count (in theory, anyway).
But it is a reminder of his massive fanbase. And at a time when his next contract is still up in the air, that will only strengthen his position — Salah is big time, whichever way you choose to slice it.
So Liverpool will be sitting up and taking notice, too. But for Man Utd, it should be particularly humbling, with Salah now winning in practically every department.
