Mohamed Salah has long been accused of being selfish at Liverpool.
Last year, Graeme Souness remarked that the Reds attacker was the most selfish footballer he’d ever come across.
And only last month, Alan Shearer used that very same S word to describe the Liverpool forward.
But heartbreaking photos from Anfield on Sunday illustrate that although the 29-year-old may like scoring goals, it’s nothing to him compared to team honours.
Salah fired Jurgen Klopp’s side into a 2-1 lead over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 84 minutes as Anfield erupted.
That’s because at the time, it looked like the goal that was going to win Liverpool the Premier League title – and the jubilation on his face certainly suggested that he was under that impression, too.
What the players and many supporters inside Anfield didn’t know at that moment was that Ilkay Gundogan had scored around the same time to give Manchester City a 3-2 lead over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium, having been 2-0 down to Steven Gerrard’s outfit with 15 minutes to play.
And ultimately, Gundogan’s goal – his second of the day after coming on as a substitute – would prove to be enough as Klopp’s side missed out on the title [BBC Sport].
Salah won Playmaker of the Year and shared the Golden Boot with Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, but the contrast from euphoria to complete devastation perfectly demonstrates that for the all the talk of the Egypt international being selfish, individual prizes mean nothing to him when bigger, more significant awards are stolen from him and his teammates.
Here’s the post-match images that will break some Reds fans’ hearts.