Rio Ferdinand names only two players better than Mohamed Salah in Liverpool history

The Liverpool winger has been inundated with praise since Tuesday's shock announcement that he plans to call time on his Liverpool career this summer

Rio Ferdinand feels Mohamed Salah sits third in Liverpool's list of all-time greatest players

Former England international Rio Ferdinand has claimed Mohamed Salah will be remembered as Liverpool’s third greatest-ever player.

That assessment comes a day after Salah confirmed he plans to leave the club this summer, with the winger set to depart for free at the end of the campaign. That update has dominated international headlines and social media discourse in the last 24 hours.

Salah’s achievements have been widely celebrated since the news broke, with his contribution to Liverpool’s recent successes and the plethora of individual records he has set highlighted. Therefore, Ferdinand’s assessment that Salah is among Liverpool’s all-time greatest comes as no surprise.

“You’re talking to Kenny Dalglish, as you’re talking to Steven Gerrard, to Ian Rush. Mo Salah comes into that category, I’m telling you,” the 47-year-old said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.

“As a footballer, I would say I’d go third on that list. I’d go Kenny Dalglish or Steven Gerrard, Mo Salah, Ian Rush. That’s where I’d go.”

Meanwhile, ex-Red Jamie Carragher has claimed only Thierry Henry will be remembered as a greater Premier League player than Salah.

“While many will argue the merits of players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp or Eric Cantona, none of them produced the same devastating numbers as consistently, season-after-season, as the Egyptian,” Carragher wrote in his Telegraph column.

Many view Gerrard and Dalglish as Liverpool's greatest-ever players

“Ronaldo's time at Manchester United, both initially and upon his return, was either side of his absolute, Real Madrid-peak years. Salah edges ahead of him when judging strictly on Premier League performance and impact.

“In an all-time Premier League XI, Salah is an automatic inclusion in the front three alongside Henry and Ronaldo.

“The true measure of Salah’s greatness was brought home to me recently. Only a few days ago, my old club requested that I name my top-10 greatest Liverpool players,” he added.

Carragher praised Salah's impact at Liverpool(Image: 2026 Allstar)

“The usual suspects formed the core of my top choices: Steven Gerrard, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, John Barnes and Ian Rush. The ultimate compliment I can pay to Salah is that he was the immediate name to follow them on that list.”

Salah is currently set to play his final Liverpool game on May 24, when the Reds host Brentford in the Premier League.

However, should Liverpool progress to the final of the FA Cup or Champions League, that would change.

The winger, who has scored 255 goals in 435 Liverpool appearances, is currently dealing with a knock and remains a doubt to play in next week’s FA Cup trip to Manchester City.