The “Pharaoh” announced this week that he will leave Anfield at the end of this season after a triumphant nine-year career with the Reds, during which he scored 255 goals and stands alongside the club’s all-time greats.
While Saudi Arabia is his likely destination, Salah may choose to follow in the footsteps of many other big stars who have moved to the American league in recent years, such as Argentina’s Lionel Messi and South Korea’s Heung-min Son, or more recently, France’s Antoine Griezmann, who announced his move to Orlando City after the end of his season with Spain’s Atletico Madrid.
If he does, San Diego, who reached the semi-finals of the playoffs in their first season in the league last year, have been strongly linked with signing Salah, especially given the presence of their wealthy British-Egyptian owner, Mansour.
Mansour told AFP on Thursday, on the sidelines of the “Football Business” summit in Atlanta, “He is probably one of the greatest players at the moment. Any team that manages to sign him, or any country that gets his services, will undoubtedly be a valuable addition.”.
Mansour declined to answer whether he was actively seeking to sign Salah or whether he had sounded out the possibility of signing the international striker earlier.
He added, “Of course, Mohamed Salah is someone I am very proud of, being of Egyptian origin. He has succeeded in reaching the global stage as one of the greatest players.”.
He continued, “And I think that, if he decides… wherever his next destination is, he will add a lot to that league, that country, and that team for sure. He is someone I feel very proud of.”.
Salah won the English Premier League title twice during his career with Liverpool, which also saw him win the Champions League once, in addition to other titles, not to mention several individual awards, most notably winning the Golden Boot award four times, a shared record.
He was the most prominent figure in the revolution of German coach Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, where he led the Reds back to the top of English and European football, and is undoubtedly the greatest player to have come out of Egypt, and perhaps of the entire African continent.
Mansour explained during his participation in a panel discussion that all of Egypt stops moving whenever Salah plays a match, noting that the Egyptian star is his favorite player throughout history.
Salah endured an unusually difficult season with Liverpool, scoring only five goals, and told reporters in December that he had been “abandoned” by the club after a sharp decline in his performance that led to him being relegated to the bench.
– “Opportunity” –
Despite his high praise for Salah, Mansour stressed that football contracting decisions are left to the club’s management, represented by the sporting director and the coach at San Diego.
"I leave the decision to the responsible people," Mansour told AFP.
He added, “I simply say, ‘I have this opportunity, and this is my opinion. You make the decision, so come back to me.’ If you say, ‘No, this player isn’t a good fit for us,’ whoever he is and whatever position he plays, then that’s the end of it.”
This philosophy has worked in San Diego so far.
San Diego became the 30th club in Major League Soccer (MLS) last season, after Mansour partnered with the Secuan Native American tribe of the Komiai Nation to pay a $500 million expansion fee.
In the club’s first season, it broke the record for the most points for a new club with 60 points, while it currently occupies fourth place and has not lost a single game in the Western Conference.
San Diego is also one of the youngest teams in the American league, and it attracts its players from the global “Right to Dream” academy network run by Mansour, which has activities in Ghana, Egypt and Denmark.
Tottenham Hotspur's Ghanaian international winger, Mohammed Kudus, is one of the graduates of this network.
Mansour said, “What I liked about our style of play is that it’s a collective effort, full of flexibility, energy, and a winning spirit.”
He added, “Football is a team sport, not just about one player.”
