Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is trying to figure out how to maintain his position at the top for as long as possible, following in the footsteps of greats like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

It’s not common practice for Liverpool to replace Mohamed Salah. That was evident in his cold reaction to being taken off with 15 minutes remaining against Chelsea.

It’s not great to see this from a new member of Liverpool’s leadership group, but I can see why he could be feeling this way. Salah is fundamentally motivated by the conviction that he can affect the game every second he is on the pitch, and this confidence has shown to be well-founded.

Even if the game against Chelsea ended poorly, Salah was outstanding in the first half. His pinpoint ball set up Liverpool’s first goal by Luis Daz, and the Egyptian forward was denied a second by a questionable call.

The second was maybe the most “classic Salah” since he raced into the space and then calmly finished. However, the assist may have been more important, especially when considering Liverpool’s star player’s potential to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi by playing at a high level well into his 30s.

Usually, he gets compared to Ronaldo more often. Salah’s nearly unmatched self-discipline is no doubt a part in his near-flawless injury record, but their physical makeup seems to be the bigger issue.

While Ronaldo developed into a luxury poacher or even a target man, Salah is unlikely to follow in his footsteps. Despite his deceptive strength, he is not widely known as an aerial threat, and the qualities that make him so dangerous in the center will diminish when his pace slows.

That’s why he seems intent on following in Messi’s footsteps. Salah is similar to the World Cup victor in that he can both score and create goals at a high level.

Salah still managed to dish out 11 assists in his rookie season with the Premier League. The Liverpool player has never had fewer than nine assists in a season. Last year, Erling Haaland nearly stole the award from him, but he only had eight.

Salah had his most productive offensive season to date in 2021/22, when he scored 23 times and sent out 14 assists. This multifaceted, developing menace is reminiscent of Messi.

Salah’s near-offside goal against Chelsea proved he is still a threat, and if Messi is any indication, that won’t change anytime soon. The Argentine is still capable of quick, explosive bursts. However, the focus is shifting, albeit slowly. After a stunning stretch of seven in preseason across just 270 minutes of play, Daz was able to capitalize on the situation with a pinpoint assist.

Salah will be looking to set a new season-opening record for assists this time around. While Messi’s PSG stats show that he did indeed rack up more assists than goals for the first time, the tide is clearly moving in that favor.

Messi scored 25 goals for Barcelona in 2019/2020, setting a new club record for goals in a season. He scored 22 of those goals from outside the box. It’s a familiar tune. Even though Liverpool’s lack of Champions League participation hurts Salah’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, he will still be in the running if he comes close to that total.

But he still has his sights set on winning those major honors as he enters his 40s. Both Ronaldo and Messi have demonstrated this, and it bodes well for Salah and Liverpool if he follows in the footsteps of the latter.