Salah: I thought that if Liverpool didn t renew my contract with me, I would do my best to leave with honor

In an exclusive interview with French media "Team" on May 10, Salah talked about the uncertainty of the contract renewal negotiations with Liverpool this season.

How to deal with uncertainty about renewal?

"I have to say that in the end this became a valuable experience (laughs), because I played the best season of my career (49 games, 33 goals, 23 assists). Maybe because this is my contract year, I especially want to enjoy every moment and go all out to win the championship I have promised. My mentality is: If the club doesn't want to renew my contract with me, it's okay, but I want to do my best to end in the best way and let myself leave with honor."

Have you really thought about leaving?

"It's really possible that we've done a great job this season, and the renewal negotiations are not easy, but in the end everyone is happy, we won the championship, and I renewed two seasons. (Smile)"

Talking about Anfield

"It's a unique stadium, and I actually like a place, right on the right side of the game, not the side facing the Kop stand. I don't know why, maybe it's because I've been playing there for the past eight years, and before the kickoff, I'll have time to look at the familiar faces. I don't know if this is superstition, but I do like to see those familiar faces, and occasionally someone will Missing two games in a row, I will ask the people of our team to confirm whether they are all well. These familiar faces make me feel very friendly, with a warmth and vitality that is hard to express in words. In short, the whole Anfield makes me feel comfortable, everything is so orderly. Everyone knows each other, the passage before entering the court is very narrow, and every time I pass there, I realize what a rare honor it is. When I see the wall saying 'You will never walk alone', touching the sign of 'This is Anfield', and hearing the cheers of the fans, I feel a surge of heart whenever I talk about this. '

Haven't you used to this feeling yet?

"No, every time this feeling touches me deeply, just like when fans sing "You Never Walk Alone", I feel very enjoyable every time. It's never an ordinary thing, it always reminds me of where I started and the path I took to experience this moment. I don't want to be accustomed to it, because career is limited, maybe only fifteen years or so. Time passes quickly, and when you stop, I ask myself, 'Did I make the most of this time? Or is it tired?' For me, I don't want any regrets."

Where does this way of looking at the problem come from?

"It's not from football, it's through a lot of reading, watching documentaries about philosophy, personal development, etc. These allow me to be completely immersed in the present and enjoy every moment, not living mechanically. That's why I can go all out on the field, and I don't want to regret it later, saying, 'If I had worked harder, if I realized earlier this wouldn't be like this...' When it's over, I wish I could say, 'Football, thank you for everything you gave.'"

Can you read and watch movies help you become a better player?

"First it's to be a better person, then it's a better football player. I started reading a lot since I was still playing in Rome, which gave me a new idea of ​​a lot of things. I was already a good player at the time, but I was eager to be a better person, and my intuition told me that it would bring me an overall balance. As my knowledge grew, I became more confident, able to deal with situations better, learn how to see things more objectively, and focus more on what I was doing. What to do. And the more I learn, the more I want to continue learning. I feel myself changing, gaining more understanding and peace. The same is true on the court, I never stop learning. I think I am conveying this attitude to the surroundings even if I don’t do it intentionally. Some of my teammates will ask me how to stay focused after seeing it. Even if the situation is not as we wish, emotional management is one of the hardest things for professional athletes to do. I personally advocate accepting a state of fluidity, if there is frustration , I will accept it because it does happen sometimes. Now that I know it's 'natural' to be frustrated, I'm able to handle it better. "

talk about Florence to Rome, and then to Liverpool. "It's really a huge change outside of football. First of all, I prefer cold weather, don't ask me why (laughs). I know I'm from Egypt, so that sounds illogical, but I really don't like hot weather. As for the other aspects, I was so excited about signing with Liverpool that I didn’t think too much about what architecture and food there were. The season I came to Liverpool, we played in the Champions League qualifiers (2-1&4-2 against Hoffenheim), and we almost immediately started the high-intensity honesty of a game every three days. I kept scoring goals in the game, feeling that I was improving very quickly, and the team was able to achieve something. My mind was completely focused on football and didn’t have much time to visit. ”