Salah best in world, says Liverpool boss Klopp

Mohamed Salah

Jurgen Klopp hailed Mohamed Salah as the best player in the world after the Liverpool forward scored another sublime goal in yesterday’s 5-0 demolition of Watford. Salah underlined why Liverpool are so desperate to get the Egypt forward to sign a new contract with his audacious second-half strike at Vicarage Road. Dancing through the Watford defence, Salah’s magical moment topped even his eye-catching goal against Manchester City before the international break. Liverpool’s habit of avoiding big contracts for players over 30 has fuelled fears the 29-year-old will leave when his present deal expires in 2023. But with 10 goals in 10 games this season, Salah has proved his huge value to Liverpool, who will surely bow to his wish to be paid alongside the Premier League’s highest earners. For the first time in his career, Salah has scored in eight successive top-flight matches and Liverpool boss Klopp has no doubts he is now better than even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “We don’t have to talk about what Ronaldo and Messi did for world football and how they were really dominant,” Klopp said. “But in this moment it is clear that there is no one better than him. It was a super pass for the first goal and his goal was absolutely exceptional. He’s in the mood to try things in the box and long may it continue.” Salah’s breathtaking goal stole the spotlight on a day when Roberto Firmino claimed his first Liverpool hat-trick since 2018 in his first start for five league games. It was also a memorable afternoon for Senegal forward Sadio Mane, who became only the third African player after Salah and Didier Drogba to reach a century of Premier League goals, a milestone encompassing his time at Southampton. The Reds are the first English top-flight side to score three or more goals in seven consecutive away games in all competitions.