(Image: Getty)
Salah will end his nine-year spell at Anfield at the end of this season, establishing himself as a Reds icon with numerous individual and team accolades and more than 250 goals. He joined in the summer of 2017 and later in the same transfer window, Oxlade-Chamberlain colleagues came aboard after leaving Arsenal. The duo spent six seasons as under manager Jurgen Klopp. After Salah confirmed his impending departure in a heartfelt video to supporters and colleagues who helped him during his time at Liverpool, Oxlade-Chamberlain expressed shock and highlighted what makes the 33-year-old so special.
Speaking on In the Mixer, presented by Sky Bet, Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “It was a bit of a shock because he’s the type of guy you think will never stop. What Mo has achieved at Liverpool was unprecedented.
“It’s incredible to think that he reached astronomical heights. These are Ronaldo-like numbers, but before he joined Liverpool he had a lot of setbacks. He went to Chelsea and it didn’t work out. He went to Italy, came to Liverpool and just became an animal.”
“But he probably thinks this is his best time. He’s been a really great player for our team. He’s one of those players. I say they’re special players, but if I have a bad game, I’m no use to anyone.”
“He had a terrible game and could have scored two goals and won the game. That’s special. If you didn’t feel good that day, you wouldn’t have scored those two goals. Everything has to go well.”
“Whether he was having a good game or a bad game, he had that elite mindset and mentality of not being too hard on himself, not getting too high, not too low, always being ready for the moment.
(Image: Getty)
“That’s a special attribute that I saw from him, and that’s the only way he can produce what he produces, not to mention he lives and breathes the game.
“Off the pitch, it’s like every little stone gets turned over. From a professional standpoint, I’ve never seen anyone do what Mo does every hour of the day to the point where I look straight at him and go, ‘I don’t think I can do that or play fair.’
“Away from the pitch, he sets up ice baths, ice chambers and cryochambers at home, undergoes red light therapy and goes from one activity to the next. He definitely doesn’t play golf or anything in his free time. He doesn’t have time for anything else!”
“Many times I used to get up for coffee before training. Like Rocky, I saw Mo running down the tunnel with his hat on before training. I opened the window and said, ‘Mo, what are you doing?’ He’s like: ‘I’m just loosening off before training.’
“He goes to train. He’s the first one in the gym. And he trains the way he trains. He does therapy, therapy, etc. in the gym and does different gym sessions. It’s an obsession. You have to admire a guy like that.”
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