Salah has lost superpower and his rant signals the end

"If I speak, there will be fire," said Mohamed Salah after what had been a rarity, a Premier League game when he had been benched.

- RICHARD JOLLY SENIOR FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT

That was at West Ham in April 2024, not November 2025. When he did speak, in December 2025, it was incendiary. Six goals were shared in an astonishing second half at Elland Road, each overshadowed by a rare audience with Salah. The accusations that followed were extraordinary. That Liverpool have thrown under the bus, that someone – who he left unnamed – wants to blame him, that the club has broken promises to him, that his relationship with Arne Slot is nonexistent. Salah dropped hints about his future, talking about waving goodbye when he goes to the African Cup of Nations 2025 could be a permanent farewell. It is possible to view a situation that he deemed unacceptable to him now beyond repair for Liverpool.

Put together, it is perhaps the most remarkable interview from a player of such a stature since Cristiano Ronaldo talked his way into Manchester United, cancelling his contract three years ago. Is that Salah’s endgame? It may not be the preferred one. The most generous interpretation might be that it was the emotional response of a great whose pride has been bruised by his demotion; perhaps by the loss of his powers, too, with this season producing a mere five goals in 19 appearances. He may just want his old status and scoring habit at Liverpool.

And yet, a few minutes earlier and in a different context, Dominik Szoboszlai had said: “What’s said in the dressing room, stays in the dressing room.” Not in Salah’s case, clearly. If troubled times call for unity, these were the actions of an individual.