Trent Alexander-Arnold has paid former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah the ultimate tribute by admitting he now ranks him alongside Steven Gerrard. Salah's illustrious nine-year stint with the Reds will draw to a close this season, with the 33-year-old announcing his impending exit back in March.
The Egyptian reached an agreement with the Anfield club to terminate the lucrative two-year deal he signed just 12 months ago. This follows a frustrating campaign in which he endured a very public falling-out with Arne Slot amid a string of poor results in December, when he accused the club of throwing him under the bus.
Yet, Salah remains a revered figure in the eyes of the Anfield faithful, owing to the remarkable success he helped bring to the club since his arrival from Roma, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League. He will leave Liverpool as the third highest goal scorer in the club's history, further solidifying his status as a true legend.
That is certainly a view shared by former teammate Alexander-Arnold, who left the Reds last summer. The Real Madrid right-back was among a host of big names, including Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and Declan Rice, to send their congratulations to Salah via Sky Sports ahead of his summer exit.
In his short video message, Alexander-Arnold boldly placed him alongside Liverpool's iconic captain Gerrard in terms of his personal Anfield greats. The defender said: "For me, I have always said Stevie is the number one but I would put them both in the number one spot now, for sure."
Salah and Alexander-Arnold share a strong friendship, having played 319 matches together for Liverpool and developed special chemistry both on and off the field. Salah leapt to the Real Madrid star's defence last year when he controversially revealed he would be leaving his boyhood club as a free agent, a choice that prompted boos from the Liverpool faithful.
"I think somehow the fans were being harsh with him," Salah told Sky Sports at the time. "I think he didn't deserve it at the time, he deserved the fans to treat him the best way possible because he gave it all to the fans. We shouldn't act this way with anyone who always appreciates the people, who came here even for six months. Imagine someone who gives you his all for 20 years. It shouldn't be like this. I hope that will change in the next game because he deserves the farewell."
"He is the only person that I cried for when he left the club. I cried with his mum, me, him and his mum. I was crying," Salah revealed more recently. The Egyptian also said when asked whether he misses Alexander-Arnold: "I do miss him. We text from time to time. I really wish him the best. Yeah, you know, being in a place for 20 years is not easy, and he's still 25 or 26. So he had to go."
