Who is the best Premier League player of all time? Alan Shearer has the most goals, Ryan Giggs 13 titles and the Ballon d'Or was won by Cristiano Ronaldo and Rodri.
But almost all polls put Thierry Henry in the number one position and I understand why. He could beat you with skill or fast pace. In Liverpool, we would do everything we could to stop him and still fail.
For two decades, King Henry has sat on the throne unopposed despite having other exceptional talents. However, 2025 could be a decisive year. If Mo Salah achieves what I believe, he will surpass even Thierry.
In the coming months, he could win his second Premier League and second Champions League, a fourth Golden Boot equaling the record of Alan Shearer and Henry Salah and move into fourth place on the all-time goalscoring list behind Shearer. Harry Kane and Rooney. This is said by a winger who did not sign for Liverpool until he was 25 years old.
He is also tops in the league this season in assists and if he signs a new contract with Liverpool – I can't see it not happening – it will take him over a decade to spend his time in England.
It is not just the facts and figures that make Salah not only special, but unique. He is achieving all this from a broad position. It's not that he is a center forward where the team prepares its attack specifically for him.
Mohamed Salah is enjoying an important campaign as Liverpool have risen to the top of the league.
The 32-year-old's goal against Leicester on Boxing Day marked his 16th of the season in the league.
Speculation remains focused on the future of Salah, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
Henry was a center forward who moved to the left. Salah is the complete opposite. Start well and enter when opportunities arise.
He scores the number of goals he scores because his positional play is exceptional. Run to receive the ball close enough to the goal. Once there, make quick decisions before defenders can react. Although he prefers his left, he can cut to his right.
His first touch to set up the shot is exceptional: it is pure talent. Added to that, he has a remarkable desire. The more he scores, the more he wants to do it.
Salah has been Liverpool's talisman, reaching two more Champions League finals and twice finishing runners-up in the league with a points total that would have made them champions in any other year.
Henry would be the first to admit that he had world-class players like Patrick Vieira and Denis Bergkamp at Arsenal who helped him. Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo were included in addition to Paul Scholes for Manchester United.
Salah has had brilliant teammates, but not at that level. Imagine what he could have done if Scholes and Bergkamp were partners.
Consistency is also a factor of greatness. The durability of the Egyptian is remarkable and it looks in better condition than ever.
He will turn 33 in June, an age at which clubs are normally reluctant to offer long-term deals, but I don't see why Liverpool wouldn't give him three more years as the club's highest-paid player.
The Egyptian's achievements put him in the conversation with Thierry Henry for the greatest Premier League player of all time.
During his incredible career in North London, Henry had players like Dennis Bergkamp playing alongside him.
Meanwhile, Salah has enjoyed sustained success despite not having the same level of teammates.
It's a risk worth taking for the club all things considered and Salah has earned special treatment. It's not going to fall off a cliff in the next year or two. As long as it doesn't demand doubling your money – which I don't think is the case – an agreement should be reached.
All players want to be loved and Salah is adored on Merseyside. He seems like someone who places great importance on his family being settled and happy.
His legacy is already secured, but if he remains for the best part of a decade, even more records will fall, even those that seemed unattainable like Shearer's Premier League goal record or Ian Rush's at Liverpool. Salah has this burning desire to go down in the history books.
His body language has been excellent this season, Arne Slot has some of the credit. Their star smiles and encourages his teammates. He is definitely one of the main leaders of the Liverpool team.
Beyond goals, his peripheral vision for finding teammates is better than ever. He is a true team man as well as being an exceptional individual. At 32 years old, Salah is the complete package, in the best shape of his life.
I often suffered at the hands of Thierry. He scored a brilliant hat-trick against us at Liverpool during Arsenal's Invincibles season and even when I moved to Charlton he scored that ridiculous backheel goal.
I didn't think we'd ever see anything like that again. At the end of next year, I believe Mo will wear the crown.
My football wish for the New Year is that there are fewer robotic players. It makes me angry to see them clinging to an idea instead of thinking for themselves in the field.
Liverpool's reluctance to offer Salah a long-term contract is understandable, but they simply cannot afford to let their best player walk out the door.
Meanwhile, some Premier League teams could learn or do something from Everton's performance against Man City.
I've seen teams losing with two minutes left trying to maintain possession instead of chasing a tie. It's a lack of game management that you wouldn't want in an under-15s game.
I'm sure the managers themselves are frustrated. They want their players to understand that, no matter how well trained they are, there are times in a game situation when you have to slow things down and times to take risks.
Everton were a breath of fresh air against Manchester City. Jordan Pickford would play with James Tarkowski if there was an opportunity to build play. But if they were shutting him down, he was happy to play longer rather than risk losing the ball. It's just that many teams lack common sense.
Perhaps academy coaches should make it clearer to youngsters that learning a pattern of play does not mean abdicating responsibility when flexibility is necessary.