Mohamed Salah is one of the best goalscorers in world football. But it took him a lot of hard work to get to the standard he’s at today.
On January 26, the Egyptian celebrated the eighth anniversary of his arrival in the Premier League.
He initially left Basel to sign for Chelsea in 2014, but he was unable to live up to his potential at the club. The winger made just 13 appearances for the club before switching to Serie A, joining Fiorentina on loan.
After two-and-a-half years in Italy, culminating in a two-season spell at Roma, he got his shot at redemption in the English top flight.
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He moved to Liverpool in 2017, and the rest, as they say, is history. Salah has captivated Liverpool fans with his sublime dribbling skills, eye for goal and winning mentality.
In his 165 appearances, he’s hit the back of the net on 111 occasions, winning the Premier League and Champions League in the process.
When Salah gets a clear sight of the goal, you can be sure that he is going to take it most of the time. But he’s not always been the world-class finisher he is today.
The training drills that helped to unlock Salah’s finishing ability
The Egyptian forward initially started his career as a left-back in his home country, before switching to a wing role. After moving to Basel, he only netted 10 goals in 50 appearances in his first full season.
His ability to hit the target lacked to such an extent that he was nicknamed ‘Chance Killer’ at the Swiss club. But luckily, Switzerland striker Alexander Frei was there to offer a helping hand.
Speaking to football magazine World Soccer back in 2018, the veteran finisher revealed how he aided Salah in improving his game.
Frei discussed his first memories of Salah: “When he arrived, he was clearly a great talent but was very cavalier. There wasn’t much in the way of pattern to his play. I put him on special shooting sessions, and it did make him more effective in front of goal. I know he appreciated it.
“What we quickly noticed was his desire to do the necessary work. Every day he was prepared to put in the hard yards before and after training. On the pitch, he was quiet, though he was very open to new ideas. I’m not surprised he has since gone on to attain world-class status. He was unbelievably quick, and now he has added structure to his attacking game.”
Very few players can coast their way to success at the elite level. Similarly to Cristiano Ronaldo, Salah has given his all to become one of the greatest players on the planet.
His work ethic has allowed him to become an incredible goalscorer. His improvements are a testament to the power of self-belief and hard work. Alexander Frei simply helped him along the way to become the world-class player he is today.
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