The Egyptian King

[peterhague]

I've never seen anyone baffled by him not winning individual awards.

I've definitely seen people baffled by fans who say he's basically shit.

I think you know what I mean. Quite often he's largely uninvolved or at least unimpressive, despite his output. It's practically his calling card tbh.

I think honest people would admit that.

 

[SummerOnions]

I could be absurdly misremembering but I think Ronaldo (Portuguese) was also like that a lot. Invisible til he scored a hattrick. Maybe that's just because the last years are more like that than in his prime

 

[Fabio]

He's 11 short on goal contributions

I know, but I'm talking assists. Henry getting 20+ & 20+ is a high fucking bar. 8 assists we'll have to see as he usually tails off as the seasons go. I've no doubt he'll get the goals though

 

[darkstarexodus]

I know, but I'm talking assists. Henry getting 20+ & 20+ is a high fucking bar. 8 assists we'll have to see as he usually tails off as the seasons go. I've no doubt he'll get the goals though

Really depends on our strikers being able to find the net consistently. He certainly will create enough chances for them.

 

[Squiggles]

Genuine question: does it matter that Salah is so often basically shit? Is there more to the game than just numbers? For me Suarez was always brilliant for us, almost every game he played, even when he was getting like 1 in 3 the first 18 months.

I think people are being disingenuous when they act baffled that he's not always up for the ballon d'or etc. It's cos he doesn't really play like a world class player that often - he just consistently produces world class numbers. And that's obviously the most important thing for us. But let's not pretend like it's everything there is.

I agree it's definitely a factor, but I also think he's definitely been unfairly judged for not being European or South American.

Salah didn't make the top thirty last year

11th in 2023, highest position is 5th before that. Objectively he's been better than that, and whilst I can't be arsed going through it, I suspect there's lesser footballers ahead of him.

It was more last year when he wasn't in the top 30 which felt very dubious and taken for granted.

 

[darkstarexodus]

I agree it's definitely a factor, but I also think he's definitely been unfairly judged for not being European or South American.

Salah Didn't make the top thirty last year

11th in 2023, highest position is 5th before that. Objectively he's been better than that, and whilst I can't be arsed going through it, I suspect there's lesser footballers ahead of him.

It was more last year when he wasn't in the top 30 which felt very dubious and taken for granted.

It's absurd that he wasn't top 10 last year.

 

[peterhague]

I agree it's definitely a factor, but I also think he's definitely been unfairly judged for not being European or South American.

Salah Didn't make the top thirty last year

11th in 2023, highest position is 5th before that. Objectively he's been better than that, and whilst I can't be arsed going through it, I suspect there's lesser footballers ahead of him.

It was more last year when he wasn't in the top 30 which felt very dubious and taken for granted.

Yeah not being in the top 30 is mental.

I'd say he's a good contender for it in exceptional years like this one, when the sheer numbers make up for the slight lack of brilliance.

 

[peterhague]

I could be absurdly misremembering but I think Ronaldo (Portuguese) was also like that a lot. Invisible til he scored a hattrick. Maybe that's just because the last years are more like that than in his prime

Yeah good example. The difference between him and Messi, who had similar numbers most years, is exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[Fabio]

i dont remember well enough, but did henry run the show? i remember he ghosted in finals, but i can't remember if he dictated play. I dont think he did

 

[Squiggles]

i dont remember well enough, but did henry run the show? i remember he ghosted in finals, but i can't remember if he dictated play. I dont think he did

Kinda, and definitely in the final third. He had a very stable platform around him though. Cole, Campbell, Viera, Petit, Silva, Fabregas, but he still had some very special performances against the very best.


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