One transfer decision in 2017 altered Liverpool’s next decade. Jurgen Klopp had tracked Julian Brandt during his time at Borussia Dortmund and viewed the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder as a clear target. Brandt had recorded 40 appearances and 12 goal contributions for Leverkusen that season.

Those figures contrasted with Mohamed Salah’s 31 goal contributions at Roma. Klopp hesitated to gamble on a player who underwhelmed at Chelsea just three seasons prior, and Liverpool’s hierarchy ultimately persuaded him to back Salah instead of Brandt.

Salah arrived on Merseyside with conviction. In his debut match for the Reds, Salah mustered a goal and an assist … and the rest is history. The 33-year-old, who will bid farewell to Anfield at the end of the 2025–26 season, went on to record over 250 goals for Liverpool, helping the team win two Premier League titles, the Champions League and six other trophies.

Brandt stayed at Bayer Leverkusen until he joined Borussia Dortmund in 2019. Across seven seasons in a yellow shirt he made 300 appearances for BVB and scored 56 goals. He did not win a league title with either Leverkusen or Dortmund and lifted only two honors with Dortmund.

Comparing any player’s résumé to Salah’s record in the Premier League shows the scale of what Liverpool gained that summer. Still, the story underlines how narrow margins and managerial preference can shape a club’s history.

Brandt is set to leave Borussia Dortmund as a free agent this summer after the club and player agreed not to extend his contract, which expires in June. Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken confirmed that decision. “There have already been a few reports, and it’s simply that there were open talks and everyone agreed that the expiring contract wouldn’t be extended.”

After nine years as a constant figure in Liverpool’s attack, Mohamed Salah faces a closing chapter. Supporters have roughly two more months to take in the player who has produced so many defining moments in a Liverpool shirt. The 33-year-old’s list of “lasts” is growing: his final goal, his final assist, his final trophy and, most notably, his final game for the club.

Salah’s last Premier League appearance for Liverpool is scheduled, appropriately, on the final day of the season at Anfield. The Reds meet Brentford on Sunday, May 24, a fixture that will also bring an emotional farewell should he leave for the Saudi Pro League or MLS next season. The match is set against the backdrop of a lackluster title defense, making it both a club milestone and a personal closing night for Salah.

Statistically the winger has enjoyed success against Brentford, scoring seven times in eight appearances against the Bees. One of those goals arrived during Liverpool’s 3–2 defeat to Brentford in October, a result Arne Slot’s side will hope to amend in the reverse fixture and which now carries added significance as part of Salah’s goodbye.

There remains a possible extension to Salah’s Liverpool tenure beyond the domestic season. If Liverpool progress to the Champions League final, Salah could wear the red shirt one more time on the game’s biggest stage. The final is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. Reaching that match will require navigating a difficult path, beginning with a Champions League quarterfinal against defending holders Paris Saint-Germain.

Whatever Salah’s next destination, the dates are set. May 24 at Anfield is the likely final Premier League appearance at home, with May 30 available as a last hurrah if the club reaches Budapest. For fans, those fixtures will carry the weight of a nine-year tenure and a career of memorable contributions.

Tears will be shed when Mohamed Salah bids farewell to Liverpool supporters, but what endures are the moments that reshaped the club during his time on Merseyside. Few players have delivered such a sequence of decisive strikes, finals contributions and unforgettable derby goals.

Salah’s introduction at Anfield produced a staggering return — a 44-goal campaign that silenced critics who labelled him a ‘one-season wonder’. That debut season contained one of his most celebrated efforts: a solo run and finish in the Merseyside derby in December 2017 that later earned the FIFA Puskás Award.

Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final in 2018 showcased Salah at full tilt until the final itself in Kyiv. En route he produced a match-winning equalizer at the Etihad Stadium to turn the tie against Manchester City, and a commanding display against Roma in the Anfield semifinal first leg underlined his influence across Europe.

The 2018–19 season brought both near-miss and redemption. Liverpool finished second in the Premier League with 97 points, and Salah produced one of his signature long-range strikes against Chelsea late in that campaign. European solace arrived in Madrid as Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 in the Champions League final. Salah’s composed early penalty set Liverpool on their way. For the first and only time in his career, Salah was a European champion.

Salah’s repertoire of solo goals continued to astound. In October 2021 he weaved past multiple defenders before rifling a low finish past Ederson from a tight angle on his right foot. A trip to Old Trafford delivered another landmark: Salah became the first visiting player to score a Premier League hat trick at Old Trafford in a 5–0 victory, one of several dominant displays against Manchester United including a 7–0 win at Anfield the following season.

When Arne Slot replaced Jürgen Klopp there was understandable uncertainty, but Salah answered any questions on the field. In 2024–25 he produced the best season of his career, maintaining the attacking numbers and moments of brilliance that defined his Liverpool legacy.