LONDON: Mohamed Salah might not have won his duel with Cristiano Ronaldo during the international break, but the Liverpool winger is on the verge of being ranked alongside the Portugal superstar after his record-breaking season.
Salah was left frustrated by Ronaldo last week as he put Egypt ahead in their friendly against Portugal, only to see his rival strike twice in stoppage-time to steal the victory.
It was fitting that Salah was on target in his shoot-out with Ronaldo as there is a growing belief the Liverpool ace can emulate the incredible achievements of Real Madrid forward Ronaldo and Barcelona striker Lionel Messi.
Salah has already had a remarkable first season with Liverpool following his move from Roma and he heads into Saturday’s Premier League clash at Crystal Palace with more milestones in his sights.
The 25-year-old’s four-goal blitz in Liverpool’s 5-0 rout of Watford before the international break set a new record for the most goals by a Reds player in his debut campaign.
Salah, who has 12 goals in his last 10 appearances in all competitions, has scored in 20 of his 30 league matches this season.
If he scores against Palace he will equal the record for a 38-match season, set by Ronaldo in 2007-08 and Robin van Persie in 2012-13.
“You can look at Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez and he is up there with any Liverpool forward to have come in,” Reds legend Ian Rush says of Salah.
“He’s been absolutely amazing but the thing with Salah is that he is so down-to-earth as well. The game against Watford was the best I have ever seen him play, he was untouchable — not just because of his four goals but also because he wasn’t selfish and was trying to make goals for his team-mates.
“There are only two players I have seen that can play at that level, and that’s Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Salah has 36 goals in 41 games in all competitions, while Ronaldo has scored 37 in 35 and Messi 35 in 43.
Palace boss Roy Hodgson must find a way to subdue Salah this weekend as third placed Liverpool look to celebrate manager Jurgen Klopp’s 100th Premier League game.
Liverpool have lost just twice in their last 22 league matches, but with a Champions League quarter-final first leg date against Manchester City next week it will be fascinating to see if Salah is given the full 90 minutes or is rested.
“I’ve never worked with him so can only talk from having watched him. He must be delighted to be performing in that top bracket of players,” Hodgson said.
“The only way you can prevent quality players is through the collective work of the team.”
With Palace sitting just two points above the relegation zone, Hodgson is sweating over the fitness of influential Ivory Coast winger Wilfried Zaha.
Palace have lost all nine league matches Zaha has missed this season and he is a doubt for the Liverpool clash after being unable to train in the international break.
Zaha limped off late in Palace’s 2-0 victory at Huddersfield earlier this month — his first start since returning from a knee ligaments injury — but has since had to rest.
“He has not really been doing any training with us to any great extent. Obviously we are nursing the knee problem that he has. He is one that we will have a look at,” Hodgson said.
“We hope that the knee will be OK but we have had to be very cautious with him after the Huddersfield game because he came back from injury a lot earlier than perhaps he should have done.”
Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah 'operating at same level as Messi and Ronaldo'
Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah 'operating at same level as Messi and Ronaldo'
NBA–DCT Abu Dhabi long-term renewal expands league’s footprint across UAE
- Academy launch and youth programs headline new agreement which sees pre-season games continue in the capital
ABU DHABI: With New York Knicks orange and Philadelphia 69ers blue splashed across the stands, fans streamed into Etihad Arena on Yas Island last October to watch two of the National Basketball Association’s most well-known franchises take center stage.
The sell-out games were another sign of how far the NBA’s presence in Abu Dhabi and the region has spread, and that footprint expanded further this week when the league and the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi confirmed a long-term renewal of their collaboration.
The extension will see pre-season NBA Global Games continue in the emirate alongside the launch of a new NBA Global Academy and expanded youth and fan programming across the UAE.
The agreement formalizes what has increasingly become a year-round NBA presence in the capital. Since the first Abu Dhabi Games in 2022, a stream of high-profile NBA teams has played preseason games in the city — Milwaukee and Atlanta that year, followed by Dallas and Minnesota in 2023, reigning champions Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets in 2024, and the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers last October — bringing MVP talent such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid alongside championship rosters and perennial contenders.
Away from the bright lights of Etihad Arena, the NBA’s footprint has filtered into schools and community gyms across the UAE capital. The multiyear collaboration with DCT Abu Dhabi has gone far beyond preseason games, encompassing the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Abu Dhabi League, fan festivals, player appearances and community clinics designed to promote healthy lifestyles and introduce young people to the fundamentals of the sport — an approach that research firm YouGov says has lifted basketball participation in the UAE by 60 percent and expanded the league’s local fanbase by more than 25 percent since the annual preseason visits began.
An NBA Global Academy will be launched in Abu Dhabi and will serve as the global hub for the league’s academy network, operating year-round as an elite basketball development and academic program for top high-school-age student-athletes from the UAE, the Middle East and beyond. The academy will include elite development programming for up to 20 local boys, basketball development activities for local girls and residential programming for up to 24 male prospects from the rest of the world.
Abu Dhabi will also host two annual youth tournaments under the expanded agreement, following the 2025 NBA Academy Showcase at NYU Abu Dhabi from Sept. 25 to 27, which featured elite teenage prospects from NBA Academy Africa in Senegal, IMG Academy in the United States, INSEP in France and Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence.
Mohamed Khalifa Al-Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said the renewal reflected the emirate’s long-term ambitions in sport and youth development.
“Extending our partnership with the NBA further strengthens Abu Dhabi’s position as the new home of basketball in the Middle East and reinforces our commitment to our youth,” he said.
“The establishment of the NBA Global Academy in Abu Dhabi will open pathways for Emirati and UAE-based athletes, coaches and sports professionals to learn from the world’s best, while our long-term hosting of the NBA Global Games will inspire the next generation.
“Beyond bringing world-class sporting events to our capital, the NBA’s youth programs and grassroots initiatives encourage healthy, active lifestyles and connect our residents to the universal values of sport.”
From the NBA’s perspective, the UAE capital has become one of its most significant overseas platforms.
NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum said the collaboration had been instrumental in growing basketball participation and fandom in the UAE and across the Middle East.
“We look forward to building on those efforts in the years to come, including through the launch of an NBA Global Academy that will help develop elite-level players from the region and around the world,” he added.
The extended collaboration will also expand youth development programming that has already reached more than 20,000 boys and girls since 2022, with plans to grow the existing Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA leagues in Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain to six later this year and 12 by 2028.
The commercial side of the relationship is also evolving, with Experience Abu Dhabi remaining the NBA’s official tourism partner across the Middle East, China and Europe while the deal now extends into Africa, Asia, Canada and Latin America.
With more teams expected, academy graduates emerging and junior leagues expanding, Abu Dhabi’s role in the NBA’s international strategy appears set to deepen. Additional details about future NBA preseason games in Abu Dhabi, including the schedule and participating teams, are expected to be announced later.
