Why Mohamed Salah Is Not a 'One-Season Wonder' & Will Continue to Light Up the Premier League

How do we define a one-season wonder in football? 

Since the end of last season fans have taken to social media, particularly those of rival teams, to discuss and scoff at the thought of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah repeating his amazing form of last season.

There’s no denying that the Egyptian had an outstanding season last time out, netting 32 goals in 36 games in the Premier League saw him deservedly pick up the golden boot. Some fans have gone as far as saying he’s one of the greatest players they’ve ever watched play at Anfield, purely due to the scintillating start to his Liverpool career.

Salah has carried his rather large bags of potential across Europe. Starting his European career in the Swiss mountains with Basel, he made his Premier League debut with Chelsea before being loaned out to the southern Italian side Fiorentina. Salah's time at the Serie A earned him a permanent move to Roma where his bags would split open on arrival and make all of Europe’s top clubs sat up and take notice. 

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Liverpool won the race for his signature and upon his arrival at Anfield it was quick to see that even with his talent there was still the potential to improve even farther. Under the shadow of the Kop he blossomed into an unimaginable dream, a player that Liverpool fans have been waiting for since the day that the iconic Luis Suarez left the club to join Barcelona.

The main reason that he won’t be a one-season wonder is quite simply because the numbers that Salah produced last season were phenomenal, right up there with likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. To be talked about in the same breath with the two greatest players of our generation is high praise indeed. Looking back at real one-season wonders, even the best of them were nowhere near the numbers produced by Salah.

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Salah's performance earned him superlatives and titles that will last. The first African player to score 30 goals in a season. The first Premier League player to win the Player of the Month three times in one season. The first Liverpool player to score more than 31 goals in a Premier League campaign since Luis Suarez in 2014. Premier League Player of the Season. And the list goes on.

The step up that the 26-year-old made last year was incredible and cannot be a fluke. Salah is no Michu, the Spanish striker who scored 22 goals for Swansea City in his first season and won the League Cup, before ending up playing in the fourth tier of Spanish football. Salah is a manager’s dream and a perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool’s style of play. A world-class asset for the Merseyside outfit.

Another factor that sets him apart is his attitude towards the game. His tenacity off the ball, his aggression and spirit for the team philosophy has proven to be inspired. Tracking back to make big tackles, always looking to run in behind and put fullbacks under pressure. Not only is he a very talented striker, but he also carries the masterly football brain. Only the very best possess this, the Zidanes, Messis and Ronaldos of the world.

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Tottenham’s Harry Kane proved a lot of his doubters wrong with his devastating Premier League form and is now recognised as one of the world’s best out-and-out strikers in the game. Many had questioned whether the Spurs academy graduate could repeat his form, just as rival supporters continue to question Salah at this stage of his career.

Salah is a threat to opposition across the world of football, with fans and managers of the opposition desperately trying to find answers to the Egyptian's abilities. This season there is enormous pressure on him to perform, but he has a fantastic opportunity to make his statement across the world. 

Mohamed Salah has arrived to the biggest stage in football, and won’t be budging anytime soon.