Jamie Carragher has taken to social media to hit back at claims that he is one of Mohamed Salah’s biggest critics, after a controversial Liverpool ranking video was posted.
Often, the former Liverpool centre-back is unafraid to offer his unfiltered opinions on everything to do with the Merseyside giants.
This has gotten him into some hot water recently, as several Reds fans have taken offence to his top ten ranking of Liverpool’s greatest ever players, which was released by the club’s official social media account, in the wake of Salah’s earth-shattering news that he will be leaving at the close of the season.
Arguably poor timing on the club’s part, Carragher – in the video – has only placed Salah in the sixth position of his top ten all-time Reds players, with Ian Rush, John Barnes, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish, and Steven Gerrard all placed above him in the rankings.
The outspoken pundit did say that Salah was “always” going to feature inside his top ten, as he has been a part of a clear “spine” in recent years that has seen trophies stack high at Anfield, but he clearly has other favourites from years gone by who pip him in the running order.
For what the 33-year-old has achieved over the years at Liverpool, with a crazy 255 goals next to his name, and two Premier League winners’ medals collected, you might well have expected his name to be far higher up Carragher’s personal list.
This has led to many online blasting the 48-year-old’s choices, with bias perhaps seeping in with Gerrard as his number one pick, considering Carragher was a loyal teammate to the iconic midfielder throughout his long stay at Anfield.
Moreover, with his recent criticisms of Salah being a “disgrace” for downing his tools earlier in the season when Arne Slot wasn’t selecting him, many have called out Carragher’s selections, including one account who blasted the retired defender as “one of Salah’s biggest critics.”
Further noting the “poor timing” of releasing such a video, as the Anfield masses grow used to such a legendary player calling time on his Merseyside career, the clip has certainly generated more backlash than expected.
In true Carragher style, he has responded to all these claims with an explosive reply on X.
Carragher hits back against criticism
The notion that Carragher is one of Salah’s biggest critics does feel somewhat of a stretch.
Indeed, in the past, the former Liverpool defender has even stated that the 33-year-old is “one of the greatest players we have ever seen in the Premier League.”
No wonder Carragher has fought back with so much venom then, with the social media regular stating that he is “not one of his biggest critics” and this opinion is “disrespectful” to the likes of Gerrard, and others, who the 48-year-old holds in higher esteem.
Moreover, the impassioned pundit has even come out to acknowledge that he believes Salah is the second-best foreign player to ever grace the English top-flight, with Thierry Henry the only other import who has him beaten.
He stated, when writing on this topic in the Telegraph: “In the pantheon of overseas attacking players to have excelled in England, only Thierry Henry eclipses Salah’s output and consistency.”
Salah’s PL record at Liverpool vs Henry and Ronaldo:
| Metric | Salah (Liverpool) | Henry (Arsenal) | Ronaldo (Man United) |
| Appearances | 310 | 258 | 236 |
| Goals | 189 | 175 | 103 |
| Assists | 92 | 74 | 37 |
| Total goal involvements | 281 | 249 | 140 |
| Golden boots | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Hat tricks | 4 | 8 | 3 |
| Best scoring season | 32 (2017/18) | 30 (2003/04) | 31 (2007/08) |
He even boldly declared that Salah ranks higher than the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo in his Manchester United prime, with Eden Hazard, Dennis Bergkamp, and other greats imported from abroad all left in the Egyptian’s dust, as well.
This doesn’t really sound like the words of someone who is the four-time golden boot winner’s harshest critic, with Carragher coming across as a gushing fan, if anything.
Emotions are at an all-time high on Merseyside at the moment, with Carragher experiencing that first-hand.
Salah will be aiming to not let any of this outside noise impact him, between now and the curtain falling on his illustrious Anfield stay in May.
If he were to go on to score even more memorable goals to secure an FA Cup triumph, or even an audacious Champions League success, it would be interesting to see if Carragher would update his top-ten thoughts, with Liverpool fans everywhere no doubt placing him higher than sixth right now.
