Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson will both say goodbye to Liverpool in the match against Brentford this weekend. Both will close a 9-year journey and contribute to shaping Liverpool's era of success.
Recruited only a few weeks apart in the summer of 2017, both Salah and Robertson came to Anfield with many doubts. But it was the desire to prove themselves that helped them become two of the greatest legends in club history.
Salah joined Liverpool from AS Roma for £34.3 million, in the context that many people still remember his disappointing time at Chelsea. Meanwhile, Robertson was brought in from Hull City for only £8 million after the club's relegation season.
Few people expected that this duo would conquer all major titles with Liverpool and become a symbol of the Jurgen Klopp era. Initially, Klopp actually wanted to recruit Julian Brandt rather than Salah. However, Liverpool's data analysis department, with names like Ian Graham and Michael Edwards, persuaded the German strategist to switch to the Egyptian striker. That decision quickly became one of the most successful deals in Premier League history.
Salah immediately exploded with a goal in his debut match against Watford before experiencing his first historic season with 32 goals in the Premier League - a record for a season of 38 rounds at that time.
While Salah shines immediately, Robertson needs more time to affirm his position. The Scottish defender had to wait until Alberto Moreno was injured to be given the opportunity to start regularly.
But since then, Robertson has hardly lost his position on Liverpool's left flank for many years. One of the matches that most clearly showed the identity of this duo was the 4-3 victory over Manchester City in January 2018. Salah scored a super long-range lob, while Robertson made his mark with an energetic pressing.
Robertson is not only a physically fit full-back but also one of the people who contributed to changing the role of this position in modern football, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold creating Liverpool's revolutionary wings.
As for Salah, the numbers have almost told themselves the story about him. The Egyptian striker is currently the player with the most goals, the most shots, the most shots on target and the most assists in the Premier League since his debut for Liverpool.
He scored 13 goals against Manchester United and 9 goals against Everton - statistics that helped him become a special symbol in the eyes of Liverpool fans.
Last season, at the age of 32, Salah even had one of the best campaigns of his career with 29 goals and 18 assists, making a great contribution to helping Liverpool win the 20th English championship.
In total, Salah and Robertson together won nine major titles and played 818 matches for Liverpool in all competitions. Not only making their mark on the pitch, the two are also important leaders in the dressing room - a gap that Liverpool will certainly find very difficult to fill after this summer.
Although their last season is no longer as complete as expected, it does not change the way fans perceive Salah and Robertson: two great legends of Anfield in modern times.
