Mo Salah: A Football Fairy Tale (2018) Movie Script
1
He just absolutely ripped it up.
Goal! Mo Salah!
The best in Salah is better than
even Mo Salah thought it was.
It's another goal for Mo Salah!
Back in Egypt, he's just huge.
Beckham with faith.
The bloke cannot help
himself right now!
That's nice, isn't it?
How composed is that?
He's more influential than
the president of Egypt.
Liverpool's Egyptian King!
Chelsea rue the fact
they don't have Mo Salah.
It's a bit like Messi.
When he gets it, you're kind
of sitting on the edge of your seat.
Oh yes! He is on fire!
Lots of people would say -
he's not good enough
for the Premier League. I have
to come back to prove them wrong.
He loves and eats and breathes
football and goal scoring.
Salah!
Cometh the hour, cometh the man!
He's exceeded everyone's
expectations,
he's been absolutely fantastic.
All of a sudden, bang,
gets a goal out of nowhere.
The full time whistle, that's it.
Kiev, here they come!
Liverpool are into the Champions
League final for the eighth
time in club history.
On Saturday, Liverpool
will play their last
game of the season in the biggest
club final of them all.
Their inspiration has been a man
who's put hardship,
doubt and rejection behind him
and developed a genuine love
affair with a city,
a team and its supporters.
I think Liverpool are on the brink
of something special.
But you always need that one
person in your squad who has got
the tools to get them special goals
that change big games.
We weren't expecting it,
but I think to get into the final
of Champions League is a great
feat in itself, but now you're there
you might as well win it.
I'm not overly surprised
that Liverpool have been
so successful in the
Champions League this season
because if you look at them
they're very much a knockout side,
they're very dynamic and I think
that suits obviously Mo Salah.
I think this team has got exactly
what it takes to win
a Champions League and
so much of that is down to Mo Salah.
I think he's lifted
everyone to new levels,
he's made everyone believe
that anything is possible.
They're living the dream
and Mo Salah looks like he knows
he's living the dream
and that's a brilliant thing to see.
The man Liverpool fans call
the Egyptian King has had
an astonishing season, scoring
44 goals in 51 games, scooping
all the major individual
awards along the way.
And the winner of Players' Player
of the Year 2018 is
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool
and Egypt.
Straight away we knew we had a top
player, he was amazing in training.
Amazing in the preseason games.
And really he's just continued that
form throughout the season
and he's been fantastic
on and off the field.
My personal thing is to win
something with the team.
I always think about the team,
I don't think about myself.
The way we play is very nice for me.
Mo Salah's journey to Premier
League Golden Boot winner is
a story of talent, hard work
and an acceptance there'll be
setbacks on the way to fame.
80 miles northwest of Cairo
is where it all began.
Growing up in a modest home, Salah,
the eldest of four children was
encouraged to play
football at an early age.
Aged 14, Salah was picked
up by an Egyptian Premier League
club in Cairo.
Sacrifices had to be made for him
to fulfil his potential.
He went to school in the morning
at 7am and he spent only two
hours in school. Then, he had to
travel four and a half hours all
the way to Cairo to play and then
travel four and a half hours back
to his village and then the cycle
continues five times in a week.
Salah knew he'd have to leave
Egypt for Europe.
The move came in 2010.
Not to one of football's hotbeds,
but a rather more low key
setting in Switzerland.
It wasn't easy for him in
Switzerland at the beginning, there
was the language barrier, there was
obviously the weather situations,
the food... Egyptian food is totally
different from Swiss food.
He had to adapt to that.
I definitely saw him in a couple
of games against Chelsea in Europe.
I remember my intro was -
Basel are a decent team with one
outstanding player in Mo Salah.
His habit of scoring goals against
English teams in Europe alerted
Premier League clubs and soon London
was calling the 21-year-old.
Mo was pretty quiet, personality
wise, when he joined and looking
back, I guess it was quite difficult
for him because we had a really
strong charismatic dressing room,
with some big names and big
personalities and
he signed from a relatively small
club, in European terms, from Basel.
It was probably, looking back,
very early for him in his
development to take on that kind of
dressing room, which probably would
have been a bit daunting for him.
He just never really found his feet.
He was a little bit erratic.
He looked like the first moment
something went wrong, his confidence
went through the floor.
You know, he was amongst big names,
big characters,
players with huge
reputations at Stamford Bridge
and he just looked at times
like a little boy lost.
A lot of people had this
misconception that
if you go to one club three,
four, five years ago
and I don't want to say you fail,
but you don't necessarily make it
back then people just think,
"Oh, what's happened?"
Most of the time, it's just
because they're young boys
and they're living in
foreign countries
and they struggle at times and then
they need a couple of years to
go away, for them to grow as people,
as players, to get experience.
He was a kid when he came to Chelsea
and Chelsea had a squad that
was unbelievable,
so it was really difficult.
Kevin de Bruyne didn't play in that
squad, that says a lot,
and I think we all agree Jose
Mourinho is a fantastic manager,
so sometimes things are like that.
It's very hard to criticise Chelsea
because with hindsight,
things are very easy.
People are trying to use
it as stick to beat them with
because at the time, there was a lot
of competition for places and a
lot of players that are worth their
salt, in terms of Mo Salah, Kevin
de Bruyne, are hungry, they want to
play and they took those decisions
themselves, which
I think is more...
More credit to them than
discredit to Chelsea.
In search of regular first team
football, Salah opted to
go on loan to Fiorentina in Italy.
He made an instant impact.
I would say Salah is
recognised as one of the best pieces
of business in the January transfer
window in a long time in Italy.
Fiorentina were doing everything
really to lock that
deal down on a permanent basis.
And in the end were bitterly
frustrated that they got
gazumped by Roma.
And the move to the Italian
capital proved to be
the catalyst for Salah's career.
He seemed to really hit it off,
not only with the manager,
but also with his teammates.
Salah's form in his first
season for Roma,
he was top scorer with 15 goals
and was voted Player of the Season,
led to the club signing him
on a permanent deal from Chelsea.
I'd seen him a few times for Roma
and I liked him.
I traditionally thought he was
a winger more than a goalscorer
that he's turned into.
But after two successful
seasons in Rome, the desire to prove
himself back in England
was too strong to resist.
Whether at home or overseas,
the Egyptian community
is football crazy.
And having produced the
world's newest star
is a matter of pride and influence.
I used to support Chelsea
but after Salah came,
I started to support Liverpool.
He's our angel, actually.
For me, personally, I wasn't one day
interested in any games of football
but since he's been part of it, I'm
enjoying it every single minute.
We pray for him always and we
wish him good luck and good life
and God bless him.
He makes us all proud.
Everyone's proud of him.
He's a very humble guy,
very genuine guy.
He's real, he's not fake.
God bless him and go on, Salah.
I love Mohamed Salah.
But nowhere in the world will
you find a greater
love for Mo Salah than in Liverpool.
At the start of this season,
he left Italy behind for
what he felt was unfinished
business in English football.
I think Liverpool were
excited about him
but they didn't really know
what they were getting.
You wondered how he would handle the
physicality of the Premier League,
how much the slower pace of Italian
football had maybe suited him.
There's the money shot.
"This is Anfield."
Very iconic
and hopefully you bring us some good
luck, fingers crossed.
When we signed Mo Salah
in the summer, we thought
we were getting a player who'd
scored a few goals,
who'd add pace to the side,
but would be essentially another
attacking option for us.
What we've got instead
is a superstar.
Want to give it a touch, won't you?
Go on. Too short!
He went to Italy,
he was outstanding.
It's all about the potential,
it's about the skills,
when you see it and then even more
needs the right circumstances.
This club gave him the right
circumstances, now he can deliver.
I had two great seasons in Rome
but I said to myself,
everyone was telling me,
"No, don't come back,"
but when I left Chelsea,
I said many times
it was always in my mind
to come back.
Yeah, I think he had a
good season with Roma.
He didn't score lots of goals,
he made a lot.
So you're thinking, is he coming as
an assist player or a goal-scorer?
So I would imagine it was
a bit of a gamble.
I don't think Liverpool's
recruitment
have seen it as a gamble.
You've just got to praise Jurgen
Klopp and the recruitment team
because, although everyone else
was like, "Wow, wow, wow,"
I don't think they were.
They must have knew,
paying 39 million,
what they were going to get.
For the last 15 or 20 years,
I think we've been
fairly poor in the transfer market,
you know, and they've fished
a few good players out lately
since Klopp's arrival,
you know, we're in good hands.
This was before the Neymar
transfer changed everything
when all of a sudden,
40, 50 million Euros looked cheap.
At the time, it wasn't.
There wasn't really anyone
else battling
Liverpool for his signature.
You know, when you think now
the prices in the transfer market,
to get Salah for 36 million
has to be the best piece of business
in Liverpool's history.
I think he's developed as a player
because of the players around him
and also because Jurgen's
moved him more central.
I feel like he represents the team
that Klopp has put together
and the way, the dream that
Klopp sold us
and the way that Klopp tries to play
and wants the players to play.
The system of play clearly
suits Mo Salah.
The style of Klopp's football,
the high press, has suited him
and they attack so quickly,
so there's no question that Klopp's
brought out the best in Salah.
He's just picked people
out of the transfer market
that basically suit his system.
Good people, hungry players.
The relationship between player
and coach right now
looks super strong to me.
He's nailed it.
I think Klopp's got the best
tactically out of Mo Salah
by basically saying, "Attack."
And Europe provided the perfect
stage for those attacking instincts.
COMMENTATOR: The return of the
Champions League
has created the usual buzz.
Liverpool back in a competition
they've had so much success in
down the years.
He's a lot stronger than people
think, if you watch him.
You know, he's got that low centre
of gravity where he's got big quads
and he's got big glutes.
Salah's done well to win it back
and then the deflection shot!
Liverpool don't mind
because they lead at Anfield!
His biggest skill is always
going in behind.
That's his skill
and that's completely natural.
Mohamed Salah...
Three and counting.
The bridge that he's built with
the fans has been built on the fact
that you can see the smile
on his face, he's enjoying it.
There's always
a trick for the opponent
so it helps the other players
to perform well.
He's just someone who has
really brought them to life
with his goals, his personality,
he's always smiling.
He's a special player,
he's fantastic for the team.
Yeah, and long may it continue
as well.
Salah, yes! Nifty, nifty finish!
He's a little bit like
Georgie Best-ish, Messi-ish.
Firmino waiting,
Salah's in there as well.
Firmino! What a finish!
He's found himself part
of a fantastic trio of front players
with Firmino and Mane so it's not
all on him, he can actually trust
in the fact that he's got two other
great players doing it with him.
Sadio Mane! Oh, sensational!
Liverpool's front three,
the great thing about them
is that they all seem as happy to
lay on a goal and to score a goal.
Here's Salah's opportunity.
Buys some time and slots it away.
It's lucky seven for Liverpool.
Yeah, we can all go home now,
Mo Salah's scored.
Probably the best front three
that we've seen
since Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
Originally, it was an attacking
Fab Four for Liverpool
but one member was determined to
break up the group.
I would have loved to keep him
but it was no chance.
Here's Salah
and now Firmino with Liverpool in
and Philippe Coutinho,
that's brilliant.
Absolutely fantastic.
The saga of Coutinho's
protracted move to Barcelona
left centre stage free.
When a very dominant person leaves,
there's a space
and others can step in.
When Coutinho left, there was
question marks about them all
but they really clicked into gear.
So Phil could make his dream move
and we could carry on.
That's what we did.
It is knockout now,
exclusively heavyweight.
But Liverpool carry a punch
and in their moment, on their night,
they can land that punch on anyone.
Porto was the one, Porto away.
It's Mane!
It's slithered in
and Liverpool lead!
I expected Liverpool to win
but I didn't expect them
to win in the way they did.
James Milner!
Oh, he's rattled the post!
And Salah!
Two! Well that was nice, wasn't it?
Away from home,
to win that impressively,
and to effectively see yourself
through after one game,
they really clicked
into gear that night.
Salah's at full tilt
and so is Roberto Firmino.
It's come back to Mane.
It's 3-0 Liverpool.
To go to a place like Porto which
is...I've played there,
it's one of the most difficult
atmospheres
and grounds to play in Europe
and they dismantled them.
And Mane!
Brilliant!
He has flushed it in for five!
That's one of the best performances
I've seen from Liverpool
away from home.
Counterattacking football
at its very, very best.
Porto very rarely get beaten at home
in the Champions League,
never mind 5-0.
That's when I knew we could get
to the final and possibly win it.
It was absolutely majestic.
And Liverpool's name goes
forward into the quarter-finals
of the Champions League.
Mo Salah's superstar status
is new-found over here
but, back home, his progress has
been closely followed for years...
..and his status as a national hero
was confirmed last October.
Yallah, Salah! Yallah, Salah!
Yallah, Salah!
An equaliser 3 minutes from time
threatened to ruin
Egypt's World Cup dream.
But Salah refused to give up.
A penalty was awarded
deep into injury time...
..and Salah...
..secured Egypt's place at the World
Cup for the first time in 28 years.
Salah will take his place in Russia
at next month's tournament,
with the hopes of a nation
on his shoulders.
If he's able to lead this Egypt team
even out of the group stages,
that's going to be
an incredible achievement.
Yeah, we will do our best
to go as far as we can.
All over Egypt,
you can't escape Salah's image.
His commercial appeal is huge
and, such is his popularity,
a million Egyptians spoilt their
ballot papers in the presidential
election by voting for Salah.
I mean, it's Beckham with faith
in terms of an impact on a nation
which has got economic issues,
political issues, religious issues,
we know all about that,
and I think Mo Salah just
rises above all that.
If there was an election tomorrow
and he stood for Prime Minister,
he'd win on a landslide.
Despite relocating to Europe,
ties to his village remain strong.
His wife is from the area he grew up
in and he returns home every year.
He's not just your odd or average
footballer who's grown wealthy
and has got fame. He thinks about
the ordinary man, he thinks that,
to become a better nation, everybody
has to be given equal opportunity
and that's who Mo Salah is.
CHANTING: Mo Salah, Mo Salah,
Mo Salah!
The place I'm in right now
is England's first mosque.
This mosque was established
by Sheikh Abdullah Quilliam
and he opened this
mosque on 25th December 1889.
It's a gem for the British Isles
because Islam started here.
And it brought together more and
more young people visiting mosques
and attending Friday prayers, just
for the fact that Mo Salah is going.
Mo has brought together
children of all faiths, groups,
colour and we are all proud of him.
He's a formidable figure in British
football and he's also
a formidable figure playing a vital
role in the communities.
He's an absolute positive role
model for the Muslim
and non-Muslim community
here in the UK and around the world.
It's fantastic to have him around.
He is Muslim
and he is doing all the things what
Muslims are doing before
a game. Washing procedures
and stuff like that,
so we come a minute or two minutes
earlier in the dressing room,
that he can be ready for the game.
Like Sadio, by the way, like Emre
Can by the way, they all do that.
And one of the many fan
chants about Salah has gone viral.
The chant also says - I wanna be
sitting where he's sitting.
And he's sitting in a mosque,
then that's where I want to be.
And I think that's resonated
not only with the non-Muslim
community,
but also with the Muslim community.
He brings fun to our lives.
He brings positive images
of everything that's in Islam,
in games and in people.
We're seeing an individual who
leads his life the right way.
He goes back to his family,
he doesn't drink, you don't
see him falling out of nightclubs.
He's a fantastic role model,
whatever your religious faith.
He has changed the perception
of some of the negative beliefs
that people
have about the Islamic faith.
This is the model that we
are looking for the whole
of Britain really. People like
him who can bring us all together.
And I think Mo has given us
a gift we will not forget.
Liverpool entered the last eight
of the Champions League unbeaten,
but a far sterner test
was predicted,
as the runaway Premier League
leaders came to Anfield.
I think Liverpool were the one team
that probably Manchester City
wouldn't have wanted to face.
This game promises so much.
It can't disappoint, can it?
Impossible.
With two forward lines that
we're going to see show tonight,
we expect goals.
Anfield that night
was at absolute fever pitch.
Given the fact that Man City
were so far clear in the league,
you'd have thought City
would be massive favourites,
but I don't think any of us
really saw it that way.
The battle of Britain
is on in the Champions League.
It's the last eight.
The crowd knew
they had to play a part.
We've done it time and time again.
And I've seen teams come to Anfield
and quake in their boots,
I really have.
Now there's the chance
for Mo Salah to run.
Walker's got plenty of speed
as well. Firmino joins in.
Here's Firmino, saved by Ederson.
And then on the follow up, it's
Salah! First blood to Liverpool!
I've never seen someone
who's so calm in front of goal.
He almost doesn't get
excited in front of goal,
he actually goes the other way.
When we started to get at them
and the crowd is getting at them
they collapsed.
Without doubt, they collapsed.
It's Oxlade-Chamberlain.
He can hit one! Oh, he can hit one!
That is an absolute screamer
from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain!
That first 45 minutes, Liverpool
were so forceful, so dynamic,
so dominant.
It's a good ball into Sadio Mane!
It's 3-0 Liverpool
after half an hour!
And Liverpool are running riot
here in the Champions League!
It was like a whirlwind, wasn't it?
And it does irritate fans of other
clubs when we in the media,
or Liverpool fans go on about
special nights at Anfield.
But we go on about it and it's
a cliche, because it's true.
We all like to talk about how
going into the next game, it can
change, but really two
Premier League teams,
if one's leading 3-0, they shouldn't
lose 3-0 or 4-0 in the next game.
So out they come for what could be
quite a night here at the Etihad.
It's advantage Liverpool
after a brilliant first leg
performance at Anfield.
Can City pull off their greatest
ever European come back?
Here's a chance for Sterling
to run and he can tee up Jesus
and that's the start they wanted!
I think for Liverpool fans they'll
think the most important goal
was the goal at Manchester City,
at the time Liverpool were 1-0 down,
under the cosh,
they weren't struggling but Man City
were very much still in the game.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, now Salah.
Here's Sadio Mane. He's in here
for Liverpool.
Was he touched? Mo Salah can pick
up the pieces and score!
It's an away goal and Liverpool's
grip on the tie is strengthened now.
Like most centre forwards
who score goals, he's very
calculated at times, knows
when to strike or have another touch
or a feint, and never ever panic.
Someone other than Mo Salah would
have just blasted it over
the bar,
it was just a lovely little dink.
There's the mistake,
Liverpool looking to profit.
In they go, and it's in!
And that's surely the goal now
scored by Roberto Firmino to
take Liverpool through to the
semifinals of the Champions League.
Manchester City most probably have
a stronger squad than Liverpool
but 11 v 11,
Liverpool can beat them.
Another evening, another awards
ceremony for Mohamed Salah.
After winning
the Players' Player of the Year
and the Liverpool
Player of the Year,
he arrived in London to receive
the award from the journalists, for
whom he'd provided copy all season.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
please welcome to the
stage, your Footballer
of the Year 2018, Mo Salah.
I voted for him as FWA Footballer
of the Year for two reasons.
First, obviously, the way he
packs out stadiums, the way he gets
fans on the edge of their seats,
standing and singing his name.
But I think also for what he stands
for as an individual, the humility.
I just think there's
a class about the man.
What does it mean to you
to win this award?
I'm always happy when I feel I've
achieved something and I get awards.
I work hard for that.
I always want to help my team,
so I'm always happy to win awards.
To be honest, the players,
the quality is unbelievable
and I'm very proud to be part
of the team and to play with them.
He performs and you say
that about the very best players,
the Messis, the Ronaldos.
Listen, I'm not actually making
a comparison directly with them,
but in terms of what he does,
he influences games
and he makes an impact.
In very many ways, Salah reminds
me of Kenny Dalglish.
Dalglish! Oh, what a goal!
The fundamental
memory of Kenny Dalglish was
the look on his face when he scored,
the smile, as wide as the Mersey.
And Salah, you can just see that he
loves the experience of doing well.
Liverpool's a football club
which wants heroes.
Because of, I think, the lack
of success of the team,
they kind of put all their hopes
and dreams into one player.
He's become a symbol
of Klopp's Liverpool.
From the media, it's praise
and respect.
From the Liverpool fans,
it's pure adoration.
He's just been unbelievable,
unbelievable.
I've never seen
a player like Salah.
He takes about three or four
defenders with him every time.
He's scored so many goals,
he's the Egyptian King.
The fans don't just look
at the player,
I think they look at the person
as well. Thank you, Mo Salah!
You play alongside very good
players,
the qualities are different
for each one and they make it
easy for me and I'm very happy
and pleased to play alongside them.
He doesn't do many interviews
and he doesn't speak much
and I think they like that,
they like the fact that he goes
and does his talking on the pitch.
He's just hit the ground running
and it's great to get a signing
that just comes in
and is great immediately.
He's brilliant, yeah. He's awesome.
Fantastic, what we needed.
Just hope he stays.
They've taken him to their hearts
and I think they love the way that
he gives everything for the shirt.
He brings the team together.
He finishes the team off,
he's the pinnacle of the team.
He's just the Mo Salah.
The Egyptian King.
Without a shadow of a doubt,
the best!
Sadio Mane's going all the way,
he's going to score. What a goal!
Yes!
Mo Salah! Oh, my God!
It's amazing how he's been
and that's what the supporters love.
They love someone like that,
he just walks around town,
and everything,
he walks into a chippy.
You have to pay.
Charity shop!
His personality as well has really
kind of endeared him to
Liverpool fans. He's a hard worker,
which is important in Liverpool
because Liverpool is a city which
really believes in community
and Mo Salah really embraces that.
You want the person on the pitch
to care as much as you do.
And he does, you can see it.
The work he puts in,
it's not just about the goals.
Mo's journey that he was on in Egypt
and hearing about the time
that it took him to get to training,
the incredible efforts that he
went to, very much fits with
the mould of players that we like.
I don't think that we really
appreciate people
if we think they've had it easy
and Mo's definitely not had it easy.
# Mo Salah
# Mo Salah, Mo Salah
# Running down the wing
# Salah la-la-la-la-la-la
# The Egyptian King. #
There's been lots of songs for him
already because the fans love him.
Lots of different ones,
but I just love the James one...
# Mo Salah, Mo Salah
running down the wing... #
It's a very catchy song and it's
endeared him, and a song which will
always be remembered in folklore,
where Liverpool fans are concerned.
# The Egyptian King... #
Fate and football go hand in hand.
With Mo Salah now one of the hottest
properties in the world,
it was time to face the team he'd
left just eight months previously.
Our semis,
like the quarter-final already,
were just an opportunity to go out
there and play football.
GARY LINEKER: There have been some
memorable nights here at Anfield
over the years.
Will tonight be another one?
I'm looking through
the Liverpool starting XI.
It's the biggest night of their
careers so far,
and they have to deliver.
The eyes of the world were on him
because it was his old team,
because he was on really good form,
because of the semi-final.
and he was there. He stepped
up to deliver again, didn't he?
COMMENTATOR: Mo Salah.
Goes for it again, oh, Mo Salah!
Liverpool's Egyptian king
with another crowning
moment in the Champions League.
That first goal was
completely out of the top drawer
in terms of ability
and technique.
You could have put three
goalkeepers in there
and they wouldn't have saved it.
He couldn't have got it any
further into the top corner.
The one after's almost
just as good.
He's through on goal
and he's about to face
one of the best goalkeepers
in the world in Alisson.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, yes, oh, yes!
Just goes back to the fact that he's
so confident
and he's so calm in front of goal.
When he's clean through,
you think "He's going to dink him
and he's going to score".
COMMENTATOR: Mo Salah's in for
Liverpool.
And there's Sadio Mane
and there's number three!
Salah turns provider,
3-0 to Liverpool.
I just thought when they needed him
most in the crunch situation,
he absolutely rose to the occasion.
Look at the space again for Salah,
off he goes.
There's the ball
and there's the finish.
One of the most prominent
journalists in Italian football
said it was a horror movie.
From the 25th minute to the 68th,
Liverpool were completely
unplayable.
In it goes from Milner.
Van Dijk was in there, so was
Firminho! It's 5-0!
He tormented his old club
that night.
He had two goals, two assists,
yet again Liverpool's match winner.
Dzeko scores!
Nainggolan coming in. It's a
really important deflection,
it's a penalty!
Liverpool have just gone to sleep.
And he scores. It's
a second away goal for Roma.
Liverpool 5, Roma 2.
Salah's stunning first leg
performance
had virtually
guaranteed a place in the final.
Back at his former home, his team
just had to get the job done.
But nothing with Liverpool
is ever a formality.
COMMENTATOR: So out they come,
90 minutes from Kiev,
Roma and Liverpool
into the lion's den.
And now Sadio Mane.
Here's the chance and there's the
start
and that's exactly
what Liverpool wanted.
El Shaarawy and then the
deflection...oh, it's gone in!
Might fall here for Wijnaldum.
It does fall for Wijnaldum
and Liverpool get a second goal.
They were 2-1 up at half-time.
That's 7-3 on aggregate.
You know, the game should have been
completely over.
Danger for Liverpool and then
Edin Dzeko and they get one back!
There were a little few mistakes
and you could see panic had
set in a few times
in the defensive areas of Liverpool.
7-6 was never a true reflection of
what we've seen over the two legs.
That's it, the full-time whistle.
Kiev, here they come!
They weren't a fancied
team at the beginning.
No one in that dressing room
could have told you
that they'd have been going to the
Champions League final,
no one was expecting it.
But once you get a bit of momentum
behind you,
especially in tournament football,
it can be hard to stop and they are
living proof of that.
Liverpool are into the Champions
League final
for the eighth
time in the club's history.
With 44 goals in a season,
Salah's exploits have been beyond
what anyone predicted.
But there's one record on Merseyside
that might just elude him...
It's Ian Rush. Can he score his
fourth? It looks as though he has.
Yes! 5-0!
Ian Rush's all-time tally of 47
goals in a season for Liverpool
has stood for more than three
decades.
A hat-trick in Saturday's final
would equal it
and Salah's composure in front
of goal
has led to comparisons
with the heroes of the past.
The record's there to be broken
and it's always proud to have
records and all that
but I look back now when I scored 47
goals
and it was an absolutely
amazing season.
I walked out onto the pitch knowing
I was going to score,
not thinking I was going to score,
and I'm sure Salah will be exactly
the same.
Onside, Ian Rush, 1-0 Liverpool,
brilliant goal.
I started watching Liverpool
when I was six years of age
and all you heard on the radio
and telly
was Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush.
Straight on by Dalglish to Rush
and it's in at last.
I think we have to compare him
to legends like Dalglish and Rush.
I think because of the number
of goals that he's scored,
I don't often think that
statistics tell the story
but I think they do in this case.
You have to look at what he's
achieved in his first season.
Mo deserves to be talked
about
in the same breath as Ian Rush
this season, of course he does.
But what you've got to remember
is that Rush did it one year,
the next year, the next year.
It's swung in towards Rush,
and a very good ball too.
Oh, that's superb
finishing by Ian Rush!
If he does break it,
hopefully it's the winning
goals in the Champions League final,
then I would be a happy man.
And that final is almost upon us.
With only a few days to go
until the showdown with Real Madrid,
the eyes of the world are on
Mo Salah and Liverpool...
He has the quality, he has this
world-class experience already
and when you look - Messi, Ronaldo,
it's Mo Salah.
He deserves to be at the top three.
It's one of the more important
games in our career
and of course it will be not easy
because we know they have experience
and we respect them a lot
but we're going to go there
and try to win the game.
Very exciting journey so far
and now we want to bring it
to the best possible end.
We have a chance and that's
why I think, let's give it a try.
With 17 European Cups between them,
this is a battle of two genuine
European heavyweights.
And that is it,
Real Madrid are into their fourth
final in the last five years.
It's really tough to decide
who might win the final in Kiev.
If you looked at the two teams'
performances this season
you'd make Liverpool
a very strong favourite.
They've been terrific, consistent,
scored a lot of goals,
whereas you look at Real Madrid
this season
and they've been nothing like as
strong
as they've been in previous seasons.
It's one of those hard ones
to predict
because it's two great
teams playing freely.
One thing I would predict is goals.
And even if recent history
is on the side of Real -
they're going for their third
Champions League in a row -
Liverpool can look back to the last
time the two teams met
in the final back in 1981.
It's Alan Kennedy, and he goes on
and he scores!
What Liverpool have is,
they have that fearlessness.
They've no expectations on them,
they've had a great run,
great momentum and they've got three
players in attacking positions
that can hurt you.
If they can win the Champions
League,
I think it gives everyone belief
and I think that if they sign one or
two more players,
I think you're looking
at the Premier League next year.
Obviously, I think we're
going to win.
I wouldn't go all the way to the
Ukraine otherwise.
I mean, when else am
I going to the Ukraine?
I want Liverpool to win.
That's really one of our main aims
and we'll be eagerly watching
that match
and Inshallah, by the grace of God,
we will win.
Obviously, everyone's
going on about it,
it's him versus Ronaldo or whatever,
but he is someone now who I feel
will just relish that opportunity.
It's only one game, it's not long,
it's just one step,
so we have to keep fighting
and, you know, I'm excited
and everyone in the city
and the team is excited,
so let's see.
Whatever happens in Kiev, Mo Salah's
sensational season
is in the record books for ever.
I'm really excited to see whether
he can hit these numbers again
because the numbers he's hit
this season,
I think they're unique and I think
he's having a season of a lifetime.
I don't want to say I doubt it,
but I'll be surprised
if he hits the same numbers year in,
year out.
Will he get 40 goals next season?
Probably not.
If he does, fantastic, but you know,
people will try to work him out.
He has to evolve now, he has to
learn something a bit different.
But if you want to become
a great like the Messis,
like the Ronaldos, people
will expect him
to get at least 20 next year
and that's how he has to keep
on going now
if he wants to become
a great at Liverpool
and a great across the world. That's
what he's going to have to be doing.
This guy, all of a sudden, I think
is genuinely in the conversation
to be the first African winner of
the Ballon D'or since George Weah.
When will this fairytale story end?
How will it end?
Will it continue
at the World Cup stage?
Every Egyptian wants it to continue.
I just hope he sees
Liverpool as a final destination
and not a stepping stone to
one of the Spanish giants.
If he's going to leave Liverpool,
he's going to go to a Spanish
team,
obviously Barcelona, Real
Madrid.
I don't know
if he'll be the superstar there,
he'll be fighting for that
superstar position.
He's got that at Liverpool.
For me, he's, I think he loves
Liverpool, Liverpool love him,
the fans love him and everything
and hopefully he's there for many,
many years.
There are not 10 better places in
the world of football
than Liverpool.
If you go for the weather,
then maybe Spain is a good idea.
If you want to see the Eiffel Tower,
then you have to go to Paris.
My thought is that he loves it here
and I'm as sure as
I can be that he wants to stay here.
The way I look at it, you get
really, really good footballers
and then you get five or six players
that are on a different planet
and I think Mo's having one of them
seasons now
where he deserves to be in that
elite five or six top players.
It's the start of greatness,
and I think if he stays about,
I think he's got it in him
to become a great.
CROWD ROARS
One, two, three, four...
TO THE TUNE OF "SUGAR, HONEY,
HONEY" BY THE ARCHIES:
# We've got Salah, oh, Mane, Mane
# Bobby Firmino,
but we sold Coutinho
# We've got Salah
# Mane, Mane
# And Bobby Firmino,
but we sold Coutinho...whoo! #
He just absolutely ripped it up.
Goal! Mo Salah!
The best in Salah is better than
even Mo Salah thought it was.
It's another goal for Mo Salah!
Back in Egypt, he's just huge.
Beckham with faith.
The bloke cannot help
himself right now!
That's nice, isn't it?
How composed is that?
He's more influential than
the president of Egypt.
Liverpool's Egyptian King!
Chelsea rue the fact
they don't have Mo Salah.
It's a bit like Messi.
When he gets it, you're kind
of sitting on the edge of your seat.
Oh yes! He is on fire!
Lots of people would say -
he's not good enough
for the Premier League. I have
to come back to prove them wrong.
He loves and eats and breathes
football and goal scoring.
Salah!
Cometh the hour, cometh the man!
He's exceeded everyone's
expectations,
he's been absolutely fantastic.
All of a sudden, bang,
gets a goal out of nowhere.
The full time whistle, that's it.
Kiev, here they come!
Liverpool are into the Champions
League final for the eighth
time in club history.
On Saturday, Liverpool
will play their last
game of the season in the biggest
club final of them all.
Their inspiration has been a man
who's put hardship,
doubt and rejection behind him
and developed a genuine love
affair with a city,
a team and its supporters.
I think Liverpool are on the brink
of something special.
But you always need that one
person in your squad who has got
the tools to get them special goals
that change big games.
We weren't expecting it,
but I think to get into the final
of Champions League is a great
feat in itself, but now you're there
you might as well win it.
I'm not overly surprised
that Liverpool have been
so successful in the
Champions League this season
because if you look at them
they're very much a knockout side,
they're very dynamic and I think
that suits obviously Mo Salah.
I think this team has got exactly
what it takes to win
a Champions League and
so much of that is down to Mo Salah.
I think he's lifted
everyone to new levels,
he's made everyone believe
that anything is possible.
They're living the dream
and Mo Salah looks like he knows
he's living the dream
and that's a brilliant thing to see.
The man Liverpool fans call
the Egyptian King has had
an astonishing season, scoring
44 goals in 51 games, scooping
all the major individual
awards along the way.
And the winner of Players' Player
of the Year 2018 is
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool
and Egypt.
Straight away we knew we had a top
player, he was amazing in training.
Amazing in the preseason games.
And really he's just continued that
form throughout the season
and he's been fantastic
on and off the field.
My personal thing is to win
something with the team.
I always think about the team,
I don't think about myself.
The way we play is very nice for me.
Mo Salah's journey to Premier
League Golden Boot winner is
a story of talent, hard work
and an acceptance there'll be
setbacks on the way to fame.
80 miles northwest of Cairo
is where it all began.
Growing up in a modest home, Salah,
the eldest of four children was
encouraged to play
football at an early age.
Aged 14, Salah was picked
up by an Egyptian Premier League
club in Cairo.
Sacrifices had to be made for him
to fulfil his potential.
He went to school in the morning
at 7am and he spent only two
hours in school. Then, he had to
travel four and a half hours all
the way to Cairo to play and then
travel four and a half hours back
to his village and then the cycle
continues five times in a week.
Salah knew he'd have to leave
Egypt for Europe.
The move came in 2010.
Not to one of football's hotbeds,
but a rather more low key
setting in Switzerland.
It wasn't easy for him in
Switzerland at the beginning, there
was the language barrier, there was
obviously the weather situations,
the food... Egyptian food is totally
different from Swiss food.
He had to adapt to that.
I definitely saw him in a couple
of games against Chelsea in Europe.
I remember my intro was -
Basel are a decent team with one
outstanding player in Mo Salah.
His habit of scoring goals against
English teams in Europe alerted
Premier League clubs and soon London
was calling the 21-year-old.
Mo was pretty quiet, personality
wise, when he joined and looking
back, I guess it was quite difficult
for him because we had a really
strong charismatic dressing room,
with some big names and big
personalities and
he signed from a relatively small
club, in European terms, from Basel.
It was probably, looking back,
very early for him in his
development to take on that kind of
dressing room, which probably would
have been a bit daunting for him.
He just never really found his feet.
He was a little bit erratic.
He looked like the first moment
something went wrong, his confidence
went through the floor.
You know, he was amongst big names,
big characters,
players with huge
reputations at Stamford Bridge
and he just looked at times
like a little boy lost.
A lot of people had this
misconception that
if you go to one club three,
four, five years ago
and I don't want to say you fail,
but you don't necessarily make it
back then people just think,
"Oh, what's happened?"
Most of the time, it's just
because they're young boys
and they're living in
foreign countries
and they struggle at times and then
they need a couple of years to
go away, for them to grow as people,
as players, to get experience.
He was a kid when he came to Chelsea
and Chelsea had a squad that
was unbelievable,
so it was really difficult.
Kevin de Bruyne didn't play in that
squad, that says a lot,
and I think we all agree Jose
Mourinho is a fantastic manager,
so sometimes things are like that.
It's very hard to criticise Chelsea
because with hindsight,
things are very easy.
People are trying to use
it as stick to beat them with
because at the time, there was a lot
of competition for places and a
lot of players that are worth their
salt, in terms of Mo Salah, Kevin
de Bruyne, are hungry, they want to
play and they took those decisions
themselves, which
I think is more...
More credit to them than
discredit to Chelsea.
In search of regular first team
football, Salah opted to
go on loan to Fiorentina in Italy.
He made an instant impact.
I would say Salah is
recognised as one of the best pieces
of business in the January transfer
window in a long time in Italy.
Fiorentina were doing everything
really to lock that
deal down on a permanent basis.
And in the end were bitterly
frustrated that they got
gazumped by Roma.
And the move to the Italian
capital proved to be
the catalyst for Salah's career.
He seemed to really hit it off,
not only with the manager,
but also with his teammates.
Salah's form in his first
season for Roma,
he was top scorer with 15 goals
and was voted Player of the Season,
led to the club signing him
on a permanent deal from Chelsea.
I'd seen him a few times for Roma
and I liked him.
I traditionally thought he was
a winger more than a goalscorer
that he's turned into.
But after two successful
seasons in Rome, the desire to prove
himself back in England
was too strong to resist.
Whether at home or overseas,
the Egyptian community
is football crazy.
And having produced the
world's newest star
is a matter of pride and influence.
I used to support Chelsea
but after Salah came,
I started to support Liverpool.
He's our angel, actually.
For me, personally, I wasn't one day
interested in any games of football
but since he's been part of it, I'm
enjoying it every single minute.
We pray for him always and we
wish him good luck and good life
and God bless him.
He makes us all proud.
Everyone's proud of him.
He's a very humble guy,
very genuine guy.
He's real, he's not fake.
God bless him and go on, Salah.
I love Mohamed Salah.
But nowhere in the world will
you find a greater
love for Mo Salah than in Liverpool.
At the start of this season,
he left Italy behind for
what he felt was unfinished
business in English football.
I think Liverpool were
excited about him
but they didn't really know
what they were getting.
You wondered how he would handle the
physicality of the Premier League,
how much the slower pace of Italian
football had maybe suited him.
There's the money shot.
"This is Anfield."
Very iconic
and hopefully you bring us some good
luck, fingers crossed.
When we signed Mo Salah
in the summer, we thought
we were getting a player who'd
scored a few goals,
who'd add pace to the side,
but would be essentially another
attacking option for us.
What we've got instead
is a superstar.
Want to give it a touch, won't you?
Go on. Too short!
He went to Italy,
he was outstanding.
It's all about the potential,
it's about the skills,
when you see it and then even more
needs the right circumstances.
This club gave him the right
circumstances, now he can deliver.
I had two great seasons in Rome
but I said to myself,
everyone was telling me,
"No, don't come back,"
but when I left Chelsea,
I said many times
it was always in my mind
to come back.
Yeah, I think he had a
good season with Roma.
He didn't score lots of goals,
he made a lot.
So you're thinking, is he coming as
an assist player or a goal-scorer?
So I would imagine it was
a bit of a gamble.
I don't think Liverpool's
recruitment
have seen it as a gamble.
You've just got to praise Jurgen
Klopp and the recruitment team
because, although everyone else
was like, "Wow, wow, wow,"
I don't think they were.
They must have knew,
paying 39 million,
what they were going to get.
For the last 15 or 20 years,
I think we've been
fairly poor in the transfer market,
you know, and they've fished
a few good players out lately
since Klopp's arrival,
you know, we're in good hands.
This was before the Neymar
transfer changed everything
when all of a sudden,
40, 50 million Euros looked cheap.
At the time, it wasn't.
There wasn't really anyone
else battling
Liverpool for his signature.
You know, when you think now
the prices in the transfer market,
to get Salah for 36 million
has to be the best piece of business
in Liverpool's history.
I think he's developed as a player
because of the players around him
and also because Jurgen's
moved him more central.
I feel like he represents the team
that Klopp has put together
and the way, the dream that
Klopp sold us
and the way that Klopp tries to play
and wants the players to play.
The system of play clearly
suits Mo Salah.
The style of Klopp's football,
the high press, has suited him
and they attack so quickly,
so there's no question that Klopp's
brought out the best in Salah.
He's just picked people
out of the transfer market
that basically suit his system.
Good people, hungry players.
The relationship between player
and coach right now
looks super strong to me.
He's nailed it.
I think Klopp's got the best
tactically out of Mo Salah
by basically saying, "Attack."
And Europe provided the perfect
stage for those attacking instincts.
COMMENTATOR: The return of the
Champions League
has created the usual buzz.
Liverpool back in a competition
they've had so much success in
down the years.
He's a lot stronger than people
think, if you watch him.
You know, he's got that low centre
of gravity where he's got big quads
and he's got big glutes.
Salah's done well to win it back
and then the deflection shot!
Liverpool don't mind
because they lead at Anfield!
His biggest skill is always
going in behind.
That's his skill
and that's completely natural.
Mohamed Salah...
Three and counting.
The bridge that he's built with
the fans has been built on the fact
that you can see the smile
on his face, he's enjoying it.
There's always
a trick for the opponent
so it helps the other players
to perform well.
He's just someone who has
really brought them to life
with his goals, his personality,
he's always smiling.
He's a special player,
he's fantastic for the team.
Yeah, and long may it continue
as well.
Salah, yes! Nifty, nifty finish!
He's a little bit like
Georgie Best-ish, Messi-ish.
Firmino waiting,
Salah's in there as well.
Firmino! What a finish!
He's found himself part
of a fantastic trio of front players
with Firmino and Mane so it's not
all on him, he can actually trust
in the fact that he's got two other
great players doing it with him.
Sadio Mane! Oh, sensational!
Liverpool's front three,
the great thing about them
is that they all seem as happy to
lay on a goal and to score a goal.
Here's Salah's opportunity.
Buys some time and slots it away.
It's lucky seven for Liverpool.
Yeah, we can all go home now,
Mo Salah's scored.
Probably the best front three
that we've seen
since Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
Originally, it was an attacking
Fab Four for Liverpool
but one member was determined to
break up the group.
I would have loved to keep him
but it was no chance.
Here's Salah
and now Firmino with Liverpool in
and Philippe Coutinho,
that's brilliant.
Absolutely fantastic.
The saga of Coutinho's
protracted move to Barcelona
left centre stage free.
When a very dominant person leaves,
there's a space
and others can step in.
When Coutinho left, there was
question marks about them all
but they really clicked into gear.
So Phil could make his dream move
and we could carry on.
That's what we did.
It is knockout now,
exclusively heavyweight.
But Liverpool carry a punch
and in their moment, on their night,
they can land that punch on anyone.
Porto was the one, Porto away.
It's Mane!
It's slithered in
and Liverpool lead!
I expected Liverpool to win
but I didn't expect them
to win in the way they did.
James Milner!
Oh, he's rattled the post!
And Salah!
Two! Well that was nice, wasn't it?
Away from home,
to win that impressively,
and to effectively see yourself
through after one game,
they really clicked
into gear that night.
Salah's at full tilt
and so is Roberto Firmino.
It's come back to Mane.
It's 3-0 Liverpool.
To go to a place like Porto which
is...I've played there,
it's one of the most difficult
atmospheres
and grounds to play in Europe
and they dismantled them.
And Mane!
Brilliant!
He has flushed it in for five!
That's one of the best performances
I've seen from Liverpool
away from home.
Counterattacking football
at its very, very best.
Porto very rarely get beaten at home
in the Champions League,
never mind 5-0.
That's when I knew we could get
to the final and possibly win it.
It was absolutely majestic.
And Liverpool's name goes
forward into the quarter-finals
of the Champions League.
Mo Salah's superstar status
is new-found over here
but, back home, his progress has
been closely followed for years...
..and his status as a national hero
was confirmed last October.
Yallah, Salah! Yallah, Salah!
Yallah, Salah!
An equaliser 3 minutes from time
threatened to ruin
Egypt's World Cup dream.
But Salah refused to give up.
A penalty was awarded
deep into injury time...
..and Salah...
..secured Egypt's place at the World
Cup for the first time in 28 years.
Salah will take his place in Russia
at next month's tournament,
with the hopes of a nation
on his shoulders.
If he's able to lead this Egypt team
even out of the group stages,
that's going to be
an incredible achievement.
Yeah, we will do our best
to go as far as we can.
All over Egypt,
you can't escape Salah's image.
His commercial appeal is huge
and, such is his popularity,
a million Egyptians spoilt their
ballot papers in the presidential
election by voting for Salah.
I mean, it's Beckham with faith
in terms of an impact on a nation
which has got economic issues,
political issues, religious issues,
we know all about that,
and I think Mo Salah just
rises above all that.
If there was an election tomorrow
and he stood for Prime Minister,
he'd win on a landslide.
Despite relocating to Europe,
ties to his village remain strong.
His wife is from the area he grew up
in and he returns home every year.
He's not just your odd or average
footballer who's grown wealthy
and has got fame. He thinks about
the ordinary man, he thinks that,
to become a better nation, everybody
has to be given equal opportunity
and that's who Mo Salah is.
CHANTING: Mo Salah, Mo Salah,
Mo Salah!
The place I'm in right now
is England's first mosque.
This mosque was established
by Sheikh Abdullah Quilliam
and he opened this
mosque on 25th December 1889.
It's a gem for the British Isles
because Islam started here.
And it brought together more and
more young people visiting mosques
and attending Friday prayers, just
for the fact that Mo Salah is going.
Mo has brought together
children of all faiths, groups,
colour and we are all proud of him.
He's a formidable figure in British
football and he's also
a formidable figure playing a vital
role in the communities.
He's an absolute positive role
model for the Muslim
and non-Muslim community
here in the UK and around the world.
It's fantastic to have him around.
He is Muslim
and he is doing all the things what
Muslims are doing before
a game. Washing procedures
and stuff like that,
so we come a minute or two minutes
earlier in the dressing room,
that he can be ready for the game.
Like Sadio, by the way, like Emre
Can by the way, they all do that.
And one of the many fan
chants about Salah has gone viral.
The chant also says - I wanna be
sitting where he's sitting.
And he's sitting in a mosque,
then that's where I want to be.
And I think that's resonated
not only with the non-Muslim
community,
but also with the Muslim community.
He brings fun to our lives.
He brings positive images
of everything that's in Islam,
in games and in people.
We're seeing an individual who
leads his life the right way.
He goes back to his family,
he doesn't drink, you don't
see him falling out of nightclubs.
He's a fantastic role model,
whatever your religious faith.
He has changed the perception
of some of the negative beliefs
that people
have about the Islamic faith.
This is the model that we
are looking for the whole
of Britain really. People like
him who can bring us all together.
And I think Mo has given us
a gift we will not forget.
Liverpool entered the last eight
of the Champions League unbeaten,
but a far sterner test
was predicted,
as the runaway Premier League
leaders came to Anfield.
I think Liverpool were the one team
that probably Manchester City
wouldn't have wanted to face.
This game promises so much.
It can't disappoint, can it?
Impossible.
With two forward lines that
we're going to see show tonight,
we expect goals.
Anfield that night
was at absolute fever pitch.
Given the fact that Man City
were so far clear in the league,
you'd have thought City
would be massive favourites,
but I don't think any of us
really saw it that way.
The battle of Britain
is on in the Champions League.
It's the last eight.
The crowd knew
they had to play a part.
We've done it time and time again.
And I've seen teams come to Anfield
and quake in their boots,
I really have.
Now there's the chance
for Mo Salah to run.
Walker's got plenty of speed
as well. Firmino joins in.
Here's Firmino, saved by Ederson.
And then on the follow up, it's
Salah! First blood to Liverpool!
I've never seen someone
who's so calm in front of goal.
He almost doesn't get
excited in front of goal,
he actually goes the other way.
When we started to get at them
and the crowd is getting at them
they collapsed.
Without doubt, they collapsed.
It's Oxlade-Chamberlain.
He can hit one! Oh, he can hit one!
That is an absolute screamer
from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain!
That first 45 minutes, Liverpool
were so forceful, so dynamic,
so dominant.
It's a good ball into Sadio Mane!
It's 3-0 Liverpool
after half an hour!
And Liverpool are running riot
here in the Champions League!
It was like a whirlwind, wasn't it?
And it does irritate fans of other
clubs when we in the media,
or Liverpool fans go on about
special nights at Anfield.
But we go on about it and it's
a cliche, because it's true.
We all like to talk about how
going into the next game, it can
change, but really two
Premier League teams,
if one's leading 3-0, they shouldn't
lose 3-0 or 4-0 in the next game.
So out they come for what could be
quite a night here at the Etihad.
It's advantage Liverpool
after a brilliant first leg
performance at Anfield.
Can City pull off their greatest
ever European come back?
Here's a chance for Sterling
to run and he can tee up Jesus
and that's the start they wanted!
I think for Liverpool fans they'll
think the most important goal
was the goal at Manchester City,
at the time Liverpool were 1-0 down,
under the cosh,
they weren't struggling but Man City
were very much still in the game.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, now Salah.
Here's Sadio Mane. He's in here
for Liverpool.
Was he touched? Mo Salah can pick
up the pieces and score!
It's an away goal and Liverpool's
grip on the tie is strengthened now.
Like most centre forwards
who score goals, he's very
calculated at times, knows
when to strike or have another touch
or a feint, and never ever panic.
Someone other than Mo Salah would
have just blasted it over
the bar,
it was just a lovely little dink.
There's the mistake,
Liverpool looking to profit.
In they go, and it's in!
And that's surely the goal now
scored by Roberto Firmino to
take Liverpool through to the
semifinals of the Champions League.
Manchester City most probably have
a stronger squad than Liverpool
but 11 v 11,
Liverpool can beat them.
Another evening, another awards
ceremony for Mohamed Salah.
After winning
the Players' Player of the Year
and the Liverpool
Player of the Year,
he arrived in London to receive
the award from the journalists, for
whom he'd provided copy all season.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
please welcome to the
stage, your Footballer
of the Year 2018, Mo Salah.
I voted for him as FWA Footballer
of the Year for two reasons.
First, obviously, the way he
packs out stadiums, the way he gets
fans on the edge of their seats,
standing and singing his name.
But I think also for what he stands
for as an individual, the humility.
I just think there's
a class about the man.
What does it mean to you
to win this award?
I'm always happy when I feel I've
achieved something and I get awards.
I work hard for that.
I always want to help my team,
so I'm always happy to win awards.
To be honest, the players,
the quality is unbelievable
and I'm very proud to be part
of the team and to play with them.
He performs and you say
that about the very best players,
the Messis, the Ronaldos.
Listen, I'm not actually making
a comparison directly with them,
but in terms of what he does,
he influences games
and he makes an impact.
In very many ways, Salah reminds
me of Kenny Dalglish.
Dalglish! Oh, what a goal!
The fundamental
memory of Kenny Dalglish was
the look on his face when he scored,
the smile, as wide as the Mersey.
And Salah, you can just see that he
loves the experience of doing well.
Liverpool's a football club
which wants heroes.
Because of, I think, the lack
of success of the team,
they kind of put all their hopes
and dreams into one player.
He's become a symbol
of Klopp's Liverpool.
From the media, it's praise
and respect.
From the Liverpool fans,
it's pure adoration.
He's just been unbelievable,
unbelievable.
I've never seen
a player like Salah.
He takes about three or four
defenders with him every time.
He's scored so many goals,
he's the Egyptian King.
The fans don't just look
at the player,
I think they look at the person
as well. Thank you, Mo Salah!
You play alongside very good
players,
the qualities are different
for each one and they make it
easy for me and I'm very happy
and pleased to play alongside them.
He doesn't do many interviews
and he doesn't speak much
and I think they like that,
they like the fact that he goes
and does his talking on the pitch.
He's just hit the ground running
and it's great to get a signing
that just comes in
and is great immediately.
He's brilliant, yeah. He's awesome.
Fantastic, what we needed.
Just hope he stays.
They've taken him to their hearts
and I think they love the way that
he gives everything for the shirt.
He brings the team together.
He finishes the team off,
he's the pinnacle of the team.
He's just the Mo Salah.
The Egyptian King.
Without a shadow of a doubt,
the best!
Sadio Mane's going all the way,
he's going to score. What a goal!
Yes!
Mo Salah! Oh, my God!
It's amazing how he's been
and that's what the supporters love.
They love someone like that,
he just walks around town,
and everything,
he walks into a chippy.
You have to pay.
Charity shop!
His personality as well has really
kind of endeared him to
Liverpool fans. He's a hard worker,
which is important in Liverpool
because Liverpool is a city which
really believes in community
and Mo Salah really embraces that.
You want the person on the pitch
to care as much as you do.
And he does, you can see it.
The work he puts in,
it's not just about the goals.
Mo's journey that he was on in Egypt
and hearing about the time
that it took him to get to training,
the incredible efforts that he
went to, very much fits with
the mould of players that we like.
I don't think that we really
appreciate people
if we think they've had it easy
and Mo's definitely not had it easy.
# Mo Salah
# Mo Salah, Mo Salah
# Running down the wing
# Salah la-la-la-la-la-la
# The Egyptian King. #
There's been lots of songs for him
already because the fans love him.
Lots of different ones,
but I just love the James one...
# Mo Salah, Mo Salah
running down the wing... #
It's a very catchy song and it's
endeared him, and a song which will
always be remembered in folklore,
where Liverpool fans are concerned.
# The Egyptian King... #
Fate and football go hand in hand.
With Mo Salah now one of the hottest
properties in the world,
it was time to face the team he'd
left just eight months previously.
Our semis,
like the quarter-final already,
were just an opportunity to go out
there and play football.
GARY LINEKER: There have been some
memorable nights here at Anfield
over the years.
Will tonight be another one?
I'm looking through
the Liverpool starting XI.
It's the biggest night of their
careers so far,
and they have to deliver.
The eyes of the world were on him
because it was his old team,
because he was on really good form,
because of the semi-final.
and he was there. He stepped
up to deliver again, didn't he?
COMMENTATOR: Mo Salah.
Goes for it again, oh, Mo Salah!
Liverpool's Egyptian king
with another crowning
moment in the Champions League.
That first goal was
completely out of the top drawer
in terms of ability
and technique.
You could have put three
goalkeepers in there
and they wouldn't have saved it.
He couldn't have got it any
further into the top corner.
The one after's almost
just as good.
He's through on goal
and he's about to face
one of the best goalkeepers
in the world in Alisson.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, yes, oh, yes!
Just goes back to the fact that he's
so confident
and he's so calm in front of goal.
When he's clean through,
you think "He's going to dink him
and he's going to score".
COMMENTATOR: Mo Salah's in for
Liverpool.
And there's Sadio Mane
and there's number three!
Salah turns provider,
3-0 to Liverpool.
I just thought when they needed him
most in the crunch situation,
he absolutely rose to the occasion.
Look at the space again for Salah,
off he goes.
There's the ball
and there's the finish.
One of the most prominent
journalists in Italian football
said it was a horror movie.
From the 25th minute to the 68th,
Liverpool were completely
unplayable.
In it goes from Milner.
Van Dijk was in there, so was
Firminho! It's 5-0!
He tormented his old club
that night.
He had two goals, two assists,
yet again Liverpool's match winner.
Dzeko scores!
Nainggolan coming in. It's a
really important deflection,
it's a penalty!
Liverpool have just gone to sleep.
And he scores. It's
a second away goal for Roma.
Liverpool 5, Roma 2.
Salah's stunning first leg
performance
had virtually
guaranteed a place in the final.
Back at his former home, his team
just had to get the job done.
But nothing with Liverpool
is ever a formality.
COMMENTATOR: So out they come,
90 minutes from Kiev,
Roma and Liverpool
into the lion's den.
And now Sadio Mane.
Here's the chance and there's the
start
and that's exactly
what Liverpool wanted.
El Shaarawy and then the
deflection...oh, it's gone in!
Might fall here for Wijnaldum.
It does fall for Wijnaldum
and Liverpool get a second goal.
They were 2-1 up at half-time.
That's 7-3 on aggregate.
You know, the game should have been
completely over.
Danger for Liverpool and then
Edin Dzeko and they get one back!
There were a little few mistakes
and you could see panic had
set in a few times
in the defensive areas of Liverpool.
7-6 was never a true reflection of
what we've seen over the two legs.
That's it, the full-time whistle.
Kiev, here they come!
They weren't a fancied
team at the beginning.
No one in that dressing room
could have told you
that they'd have been going to the
Champions League final,
no one was expecting it.
But once you get a bit of momentum
behind you,
especially in tournament football,
it can be hard to stop and they are
living proof of that.
Liverpool are into the Champions
League final
for the eighth
time in the club's history.
With 44 goals in a season,
Salah's exploits have been beyond
what anyone predicted.
But there's one record on Merseyside
that might just elude him...
It's Ian Rush. Can he score his
fourth? It looks as though he has.
Yes! 5-0!
Ian Rush's all-time tally of 47
goals in a season for Liverpool
has stood for more than three
decades.
A hat-trick in Saturday's final
would equal it
and Salah's composure in front
of goal
has led to comparisons
with the heroes of the past.
The record's there to be broken
and it's always proud to have
records and all that
but I look back now when I scored 47
goals
and it was an absolutely
amazing season.
I walked out onto the pitch knowing
I was going to score,
not thinking I was going to score,
and I'm sure Salah will be exactly
the same.
Onside, Ian Rush, 1-0 Liverpool,
brilliant goal.
I started watching Liverpool
when I was six years of age
and all you heard on the radio
and telly
was Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush.
Straight on by Dalglish to Rush
and it's in at last.
I think we have to compare him
to legends like Dalglish and Rush.
I think because of the number
of goals that he's scored,
I don't often think that
statistics tell the story
but I think they do in this case.
You have to look at what he's
achieved in his first season.
Mo deserves to be talked
about
in the same breath as Ian Rush
this season, of course he does.
But what you've got to remember
is that Rush did it one year,
the next year, the next year.
It's swung in towards Rush,
and a very good ball too.
Oh, that's superb
finishing by Ian Rush!
If he does break it,
hopefully it's the winning
goals in the Champions League final,
then I would be a happy man.
And that final is almost upon us.
With only a few days to go
until the showdown with Real Madrid,
the eyes of the world are on
Mo Salah and Liverpool...
He has the quality, he has this
world-class experience already
and when you look - Messi, Ronaldo,
it's Mo Salah.
He deserves to be at the top three.
It's one of the more important
games in our career
and of course it will be not easy
because we know they have experience
and we respect them a lot
but we're going to go there
and try to win the game.
Very exciting journey so far
and now we want to bring it
to the best possible end.
We have a chance and that's
why I think, let's give it a try.
With 17 European Cups between them,
this is a battle of two genuine
European heavyweights.
And that is it,
Real Madrid are into their fourth
final in the last five years.
It's really tough to decide
who might win the final in Kiev.
If you looked at the two teams'
performances this season
you'd make Liverpool
a very strong favourite.
They've been terrific, consistent,
scored a lot of goals,
whereas you look at Real Madrid
this season
and they've been nothing like as
strong
as they've been in previous seasons.
It's one of those hard ones
to predict
because it's two great
teams playing freely.
One thing I would predict is goals.
And even if recent history
is on the side of Real -
they're going for their third
Champions League in a row -
Liverpool can look back to the last
time the two teams met
in the final back in 1981.
It's Alan Kennedy, and he goes on
and he scores!
What Liverpool have is,
they have that fearlessness.
They've no expectations on them,
they've had a great run,
great momentum and they've got three
players in attacking positions
that can hurt you.
If they can win the Champions
League,
I think it gives everyone belief
and I think that if they sign one or
two more players,
I think you're looking
at the Premier League next year.
Obviously, I think we're
going to win.
I wouldn't go all the way to the
Ukraine otherwise.
I mean, when else am
I going to the Ukraine?
I want Liverpool to win.
That's really one of our main aims
and we'll be eagerly watching
that match
and Inshallah, by the grace of God,
we will win.
Obviously, everyone's
going on about it,
it's him versus Ronaldo or whatever,
but he is someone now who I feel
will just relish that opportunity.
It's only one game, it's not long,
it's just one step,
so we have to keep fighting
and, you know, I'm excited
and everyone in the city
and the team is excited,
so let's see.
Whatever happens in Kiev, Mo Salah's
sensational season
is in the record books for ever.
I'm really excited to see whether
he can hit these numbers again
because the numbers he's hit
this season,
I think they're unique and I think
he's having a season of a lifetime.
I don't want to say I doubt it,
but I'll be surprised
if he hits the same numbers year in,
year out.
Will he get 40 goals next season?
Probably not.
If he does, fantastic, but you know,
people will try to work him out.
He has to evolve now, he has to
learn something a bit different.
But if you want to become
a great like the Messis,
like the Ronaldos, people
will expect him
to get at least 20 next year
and that's how he has to keep
on going now
if he wants to become
a great at Liverpool
and a great across the world. That's
what he's going to have to be doing.
This guy, all of a sudden, I think
is genuinely in the conversation
to be the first African winner of
the Ballon D'or since George Weah.
When will this fairytale story end?
How will it end?
Will it continue
at the World Cup stage?
Every Egyptian wants it to continue.
I just hope he sees
Liverpool as a final destination
and not a stepping stone to
one of the Spanish giants.
If he's going to leave Liverpool,
he's going to go to a Spanish
team,
obviously Barcelona, Real
Madrid.
I don't know
if he'll be the superstar there,
he'll be fighting for that
superstar position.
He's got that at Liverpool.
For me, he's, I think he loves
Liverpool, Liverpool love him,
the fans love him and everything
and hopefully he's there for many,
many years.
There are not 10 better places in
the world of football
than Liverpool.
If you go for the weather,
then maybe Spain is a good idea.
If you want to see the Eiffel Tower,
then you have to go to Paris.
My thought is that he loves it here
and I'm as sure as
I can be that he wants to stay here.
The way I look at it, you get
really, really good footballers
and then you get five or six players
that are on a different planet
and I think Mo's having one of them
seasons now
where he deserves to be in that
elite five or six top players.
It's the start of greatness,
and I think if he stays about,
I think he's got it in him
to become a great.
CROWD ROARS
One, two, three, four...
TO THE TUNE OF "SUGAR, HONEY,
HONEY" BY THE ARCHIES:
# We've got Salah, oh, Mane, Mane
# Bobby Firmino,
but we sold Coutinho
# We've got Salah
# Mane, Mane
# And Bobby Firmino,
but we sold Coutinho...whoo! #