Salah ends Liverpool career with tears and satisfaction that the club is back 'where it belongs'

Mohamed Salah said he cried “more than I did my whole life” in his final appearance for Liverpool after a nine-year spell at the club in which he broke a bunch of scoring records.

Salah was given a standing ovation and kissed the turf after being substituted in the 74th minute of the 1-1 draw with Brentford at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday.

After the match, the Egypt winger received a guard of honor from his Liverpool teammates and staff that he walked through in tears.

“I cried a lot, more than I did my whole life, but it’s very tough to leave a place like this,” Salah said. “I also cried a bit in the training ground.

“I’m not really an emotional guy — you guys don’t see that in the media that much. You always see me tough, aggressive. But inside, I’m like a baby.”

Salah will leave Liverpool having played 442 matches, scored 257 goals and made 120 assists. His assist for Curtis Jones against Brentford was his 93rd in the Premier League, breaking a Liverpool record he shared with club great Steven Gerrard.

Salah was the superstar name in Liverpool’s greatest team in a generation, winning two Premier Leagues — one under Jurgen Klopp and another under current manager Arne Slot — and the Champions League once in a total of eight titles since joining from Roma in 2017.

Salah is third in Liverpool’s all-time scorers’ list, behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt, and has won the Golden Boot — as the Premier League’s top scorer — four times. His 193 Premier League goals is the most by a Liverpool player and more than any other overseas player.

“We lived our youth here, sharing everything from the beginning until the end,” Salah said in a post-match interview alongside Andy Robertson, who also is leaving after this season. “We wouldn’t even dream of what we have, but we did it for this club.

“We put it back where it belongs.”

And his message to the players that follow him?

“Look, the club is now fighting for everything and the fans will not accept less than that,” Salah said.

“They don’t care that much about the result, as long as it’s sweat and you give your blood here, they will love you forever.”

Salah, who will play at the upcoming World Cup with Egypt, has not yet signed for another team.

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FILE - Egypt's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 soccer match between Egypt and Benin in Agadir, Morocco, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, back to the camera, hugs team-mate Liverpool's Andrew Robertson as he is substituted off on his final appearance during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Brentford, in Liverpool, England, Sunday May 24, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is substituted off on his final appearence during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Brentford, in Liverpool, England, Sunday May 24, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah takes a selfie with fans following his final Liverpool appearance in the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool, England, Sunday May 24, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

With billionaire owner Stan Kroenke watching on, Arsenal’s players finally got their hands on the Premier League trophy as they lifted the biggest prize in English soccer to the backdrop of tickertape and fireworks on Sunday.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard looked up to the sky and back down at the trophy, shaking his head in disbelief, before walking in front of his celebrating teammates and lifting it aloft inside Selhurst Park after a campaign-ending 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.

Arsenal clinched a first English league title since 2004 with a game to spare in midweek, after three straight runner-up finishes.

Kroenke made his way to London for the trophy lift and watched the game against Palace next to his son, Josh. About an hour after the game finished, they walked out onto the field with the trophy ahead of the ceremony.

It marked the latest success in Kroenke’s sporting empire. The Denver Nuggets won the NBA Championship in 2023, a year after the LA Rams won the Super Bowl and Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in NHL. All three of those teams are in the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment portfolio that also now includes the best soccer team in England.

Josh Kroenke, Arsenal's co-chairman, said his family is invested “emotionally, financially, everything.”

“This club means the world to us,” he told Sky Sports. "I think it took a few people a few years to understand what that meant but now we’ve some great people, great players and great coaches.

“We’ve just got to continue providing them the resources to go out and do magical things like they did this season.”

He described the Premier League as a “slower burn than our championships in the United States.”

“Here, the cumulative points — it's a grind and you start to feel it in December,” he said. “Credit to our players, the staff, and Mikel for keeping their heads on. They deserve it.”

For Sunday's big occasion, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his players wore the team’s classic red-and-white jersey with “Champions 2026” on the back. Arteta was thrown up in the air by the squad in joyous scenes.

The season could get even better for Arsenal, which also has reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2006. Paris Saint-Germain will be the opponent in Budapest, Hungary, next Saturday.

“We’ve achieved one of our goals but we have several others as well," Josh Kroenke said. "There is still one to be played for next weekend. Today is about enjoying today — tomorrow, we will get back to work because there is still one more to play.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta holds the trophy during celebrating their Premier League title after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta is thrown in the air by the players celebrating their Premier League title after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal players celebrate their Premier League title with the trophy after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal supporters celebrate after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal supporters celebrate after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal players celebrate after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal supporters celebrate after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, right, and his son Josh pictured in the stands ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)