Mohamed Salah has long since confirmed his status as a Premier League legend, and he will now have two more seasons to add to his legacy after signing a new contract at Anfield.
Off the field, this season has been dominated by the contract situations of Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and one of those issues was finally put to bed this week.
Salah is now tied to the club until 2027 having turned down the opportunity to earn over half a billion dollars by moving to the Saudi Pro League.
Next season will be Salah’s ninth in a Liverpool jersey, taking him beyond the number of seasons that one of the league’s all-time best players, Thierry Henry, spent at Arsenal.
Henry is viewed by many soccer fans to be the best player in Premier League history but Salah has worked his way into equation since his 2017 transfer from Roma.
Salah and Henry compared
In terms of their goal-scoring output, there’s not much to choose between the two players, with Henry scoring 228 goals in 377 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, and Salah scoring 243 goals in 394 appearances for Liverpool. Their assist tallies are also similar: Salah has registered 111 assists for Liverpool, while Henry has racked up 100 for Arsenal.
In terms of trophies won with their teams, Henry was more prolific when it came to picking up Premier League winner’s medals, claiming three to Salah’s soon-to-be two, but Salah succeeded where Henry failed in the Champions League, scoring in the final as the Reds won it in 2019. Henry eventually won the competition with Barcelona in 2009, but the closest he got to doing so with Arsenal was in 2006, when the Gunners were beaten finalists. Henry won three FA Cups to Salah’s one, while Salah has won the League Cup twice, whereas Henry never won that trophy with Arsenal.
(Image: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
As for individual accolades, Henry won the Premier League Golden Boot twice during his spell with Arsenal, while Salah is currently on course to win it for a fourth time. Both players currently have two PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards, but Salah is likely to soon move onto three for his performances this season.
Both players have recorded two top-five Ballon d’Or finishes without winning the gong: Salah placed fifth in 2019 and 2022, while Henry finished second in 2003 before finishing third in 2006.
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Ultimately, like most debates in soccer, the debate over who is better probably comes down to personal preference. Most Liverpool fans will back Salah, while most Arsenal fans will back Henry, but one thing that is undeniable is that they are both among the very best players to have graced the English game.
