Mohamed Salah might be a Liverpool legend today, but the Egyptian superstar has credited Chelsea as the most pivotal chapter in his footballing journey — a place where his Premier League dreams almost slipped through his fingers.
In a candid reflection, Salah admitted that his short stint at Stamford Bridge was the turning point that shaped the player — and person — he is today. “I still also say this is the most important period of my life, when I went to Chelsea. Because when I started to struggle there I was like, ‘OK, so now what? Are you going to be an average player or do you want to be a really good player?’” Salah said.
Signed by Chelsea in January 2014 from Basel, Salah arrived with bags of potential but struggled to cement his place in a star-studded squad. He managed just 19 appearances in all competitions, often finding himself on the bench or out of the matchday squad altogether. For some, that might have been the end of the road — but for Salah, it was only the beginning.
“It was a key point for me,” he continued. “I started to read a lot and watching a lot of videos on YouTube to help me also change how I behave, how my mentality is and everything.”
That commitment to self-improvement led Salah away from the Premier League to Serie A, where he rebuilt his confidence with Fiorentina and then AS Roma. He matured, evolved and returned to England a completely different beast — ready to take the league by storm in Liverpool red.
Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has smashed records with ruthless consistency, scoring 244 goals in all competitions, including a club-record 183 in the Premier League. He is now regarded as one of the greatest players to ever wear a Liverpool shirt — and it all began with a tough lesson in West London.
While Chelsea fans never got to see the best of Salah in blue, they can take a certain pride in knowing the club played a role in the making of one of the Premier League’s all-time greats. Stamford Bridge might not have been his stage, but it was where his story truly began.