“I never considered that; what is the point of comparison?” When asked about the similarities between Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo in his pre-match press conference prior to Liverpool’s infamous 5-0 rout of Manchester United in October 2021, Jürgen Klopp replied, “Both are world-class players; that is the way it is.”

“I would say that Mo’s left foot is probably superior, even when Ronaldo’s left foot isn’t that bad; Cristiano may be superior in the air and with his right foot.” Both are quite fast and eager to score goals; that could be the difference.”

Although some individuals, likely those unoccupied with more pressing concerns, may have responded to the inquiry with more eagerness, it was invariably going to be challenging to distinguish between error and comparability. Salah was in the prime of his career at that time, whereas Ronaldo was nearing the pinnacle of his career at the highest level, a fact he himself had not yet acknowledged.

The only thing that linked Ronaldo’s two spells at Manchester United was the number that appeared on the reverse of his shirt. During the initial encounter, he was a mesmerizing winger renowned for his deceit, whereas during the subsequent encounter, he was a purely inconspicuous penalty-box poacher.

An indicator of the Portuguese’s transformation from a deft wide man to a mechanized assassin is the quantity of times he attempted to break the ball. Beginning with the 2009 season, his first year at Real Madrid subsequent to a world-record transfer, WhoScored provides the data. The subsequent fourteen campaigns can be divided into discrete segments.

Unsurprisingly, he averages the most dribbles per game in his first three seasons with Real Madrid (five), followed by a significant decline from 2012 to 2015 (3.4) and again from 2015 to 2018 (2.2). Then there is a slight increase in his output during his three-year tenure at Juventus (2.8), but in comparison to that, his fleeting return to United entailed hardly any dribbling, with an average of just one per game. The overall decline in form, while not strictly linear, can be attributed to Ronaldo’s transition from a winger to a center-forward position and his astuteness in identifying his optimal playing style.

Considering Salah’s recent performance, he might do well to learn a thing or two from Ronaldo. The Salah who joined Liverpool was one of the most potent dribblers in European football, completing the majority of the dribbles he attempted in each of his first three seasons and finishing within the Premier League’s top 10 for successful take-ons in each of his first two seasons.

His effectiveness rate, nevertheless, declined significantly in 2020/21 and 2021/22, and it continued to decline in the following two seasons, including the current one. Despite having reached an all-time low at 26.5% for Liverpool, Salah continues to dribble frequently.

This season, the Egyptian is ranked 20th in the league in terms of take-ons attempted, but his success rate is by far the lowest of any player in that group; only two players ahead of him are within 10%. In fact, one must descend to 54th place before encountering a player who has experienced a lesser degree of satisfaction (23.8 percent for Bournemouth’s Hamed Traoré).

A similar plot dominated the previous season. While he ranked sixth in terms of attempts, only two competitors in the top 20 and eight in the top 50 achieved a lower success rate.

Fundamentally, Salah continues to dribble at an exceptionally high rate; however, his effectiveness diminishes with each passing attempt, and he is unable to defeat his opponent by a significant margin. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown. It is implausible that his initial acceleration has diminished due to a physical decline, given his consistent sharpness in that area. Rather, it is possible that the quantity of bodies opposition managers throw at him in the course of custom-tailored game plans is the cause. Notwithstanding this, it provides him with an even stronger rationale to exercise restraint and transfer the ball to a comrade, thereby preserving possession.

Aside from netting goals, Salah, unlike the Manchester United counterpart of Ronaldo, has established himself as one of the division’s preeminent playmakers and can therefore influence the game in ways other than scoring. At this time, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that he should place greater emphasis on weapons besides dribbling and have more faith in his technically talented teammates.