Read Klopp's FWA tribute to Mohamed Salah
Jürgen Klopp paid a special tribute to Mohamed Salah as the Liverpool forward collected the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award.
Hours after scooping a double Player of the Season honour at the Reds’ annual awards ceremony, the Egyptian was in London to receive the FWA accolade.
In the event programme, Klopp penned the following eulogy to the man he signed from AS Roma last summer and has since scored 43 goals for the club…
When journalists ask me what has singled Mo out this season, the obvious answer is goals. Not too hard to answer, I guess you’d say. But I should probably explain what I mean by it.
His goals have singled him out in the public and media world for extra attention and, of course, they are the most valuable thing on a football pitch but there has been so much more to Mo this season. His attitude has been outstandingly good. We got him in a very good shape and he has learned more and got even better as the season has gone on.
He is very low maintenance and low key for someone who has the attention on him he does. He’s so very humble, a really, really good guy and I love it when someone like him gets the rewards.
Humility is a huge thing. When you consider all the attention on him in this moment – not just for Liverpool but for his country as well where he is the superstar player – to be so normal and low key is a huge achievement.
The staff at Melwood all love him. Not just the football staff, I mean ALL the staff. The guys in the canteen absolutely love him because he is just very appreciative all the time and friendly. He is so unbelievably appreciative of everyone around him at the club and they love this.
Mo is always quick to thank and praise others and it’s genuine, not an act. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like for him when he goes to Egypt but again, from what I hear, he handles it superbly.
He knows he is someone in a good moment and I think he enjoys and embraces where he is in this moment. He is not immune to the joy of individual achievement and expression but it is always against the backdrop of realising it is possible because of the team.
Mo arrived at Anfield in a very good way and very good shape. I really don’t like this idea that Mo arrived in Liverpool and was suddenly world-class. That is not fair on Mo. The season before he was brilliant for Roma – scoring goals and creating chances in the Italian league was not easy. Yes, he has developed and learned since he came here but there has not been a magic wand.
What are his strengths? He’s quick, strong, persistent and, this season, ruthless in front of the goal. His pace and ability on the ball is what helps him create so many chances. That’s the really crazy thing, for all the goals he has scored he really could have had more because he was involved in so many situations.
He is so mentally strong, he keeps going. Miss a chance, no problem, take the next one. To perform at the level he has for us and Egypt means he has more strengths than weaknesses. But I love that he knows there is still room for improvement in his game.
He can be whatever he wants to be. For him the challenge is to maintain this level now. As I said, he has not been sprinkled in magic dust this season, he has got better season on season. It really surprises me that people do not realise just how well he was playing at Roma, but then he comes to us and improves more. So if he continues on this path his career will be quite cool. There is no lock on his potential.