I can also differentiate between the player and the person. Some can't, and they'll be the ones sending death threats to players.
Trent, Salah and VVD
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I met Owen, my lad played in a footy tournament in Helsby with his lad. He was sound, said he was happy have a chat after his lads game was over, he then invited my lad into his gazebo to sit and have his photo taken. Also met Osman a few times as his nephew played in the same league, he was ace. He reffed one of their games when the ref failed to show, posed for photos with the team, etc. Also met Skrtel buying cheap shin pads in Sports Direct 🤣
Yeah, Osman seems a decent sort when he does co-comms in the media. Boyhood Kopite if I'm not mistaken.
At least Skrtel was buying those shinpads rather than biting them. 😉 The only CB I ever saw who took Drogba on and bested him in an out-and-out physical battle.
At least Skrtel was buying those shinpads rather than biting them. 😉 The only CB I ever saw who took Drogba on and bested him in an out-and-out physical battle.
I can't. But also, I won't... (send anybody a death threat over football, that is)
He was buying them to take home to have for dinner with his chips !
Yeah, but I seem to remember Owen unable to negotiate a new contract for a year because his agent had taken a six month holiday or something - Owen might as well have been free for what Madrid paid us and Owen also had the chance to force a move back to us but didn’t want jeopardise playing for England.
Also - didn’t we try and sell MacManaman against his wishes?
Again though, we can’t complain too much - we’ve utilised free agency in the market when it’s suited us too - I remember us doing much the same over Harry Kewell where he turned down moves elsewhere that would have got Leeds a transfer fee to sign for us, so we can’t complain (we, of course we CAN) when it happens to us.
Not that so want to restart the whole Trent debate again, but I just think it’s a strange irony that our demand for loyalty effectively amounts to players committing themselves to long term contract for the sole reason of us selling them before that contract runs out and that anyone who actually honours their contract is seen as some sort of traitor. It’s just a weird thing that only exists in football.
I'd take this even further - though I know many don't agree on this - that humans should have to right to move wherever they want to (laws permitting) as this comes down to freedom of movement & labour. And if that is for a higher salary then so be it.
For obvious reasons clubs need to have employment contracts but they (clubs) have zero compunction on moving on players when it suits them - it seems when the shoe's on the other foot everyone is up in arms however.
It's simplistic of course to reduce this to players having the same rights as other people, if a better opportunity arises for someone working in an office or factory then of course they will more than likely give notice and move on.
And of course due to the huge investments involved clubs need to be protected as well and I wouldn't want an NFL style system, but I don't inherently see any issue with a player seeing out the contract he has agreed to and then deciding where he wants to go to next, he's fulfilled his obligation. What hurts in this situation is more the rejection we feel than the action in and of itself.
Skrtel uses shin pads??
£8 mill.wasn't what Owen was worth, but even in the inflated world of football it's better than 100% of naff all. It's true that there were rumblings about why he didn't force a return to us but there were also rumours that Rafa wasn't keen anyway.
We did offer McMoneyman to Barcelona. The board decided to cut its losses after seeing him become the ringleader of the whole Spice Boys bit and he had a hissy fit because, like some immature teenager, he thought he should be allowed to do what he liked when he liked because he was our best player. Against that background you cannot imagine the sheer immensity of the f'ck I do not give about "his wishes".
I had very mixed feelings about the Kewell business partly because of the above. Arguably, in the bearpit of top level football we shouldn't hobble ourselves by refusing to do the same as others do, but I would have to accept that two wrongs don't make a right.
For the 675th time, my beef with TAA was never that he wanted a move. My beef with him is the same as it was with McMoneyman, namely that he wanted a move BUT KIDDED THE CLUB INTO THINKING HE WAS GENUINE ABOUT CONSIDERING STAYING. Is there an argument for calling the club's reaction naïve? Yes. Does that justify using their possible naïvety against them? Like buggery it does.
Yeah, but can we really be sure that Yrent didn’t enter in to genuine negotiations while looking at his options before making a decision.
He’s still having a good season, despite one or two poor performances, so it’s not as if he’s been totally awful.
I also don’t think footballers are that machiavellian - most struggle to remember what day of the week it is, let alone plan for years to leave on a free while still at their peak.
No, it really isn't. Pl.see my reply to Stevie above, especially the last paragraph. Move on if you wish - if you don't want to be here, it's best for everyone. But BE UP FRONT ABOUT IT.
Yes, we can. Like McMoneyman is known to have done, he's widely reported to have entered into a pre-contract with Real while still "negotiating". McMoneyman for one is more than bright enough to have known exactly what he was doing, I suspect most footballers are plenty street smart when it comes to money and you can bet their agents are.
Well, a quick google will tell you he signed the pre-contract agreement and it was announced at the end of January - so there can’t have been much overlap between formal negotiations, given that couldn’t happen until the start of January.
Not so sure about the street smart with money - there’s a lot of them go broke or get fleeced by agents and/or “business partners”.
Again, I’m not McManaman, but keeping your options open until you actually get a deform proposal and make a decision doesn’t seem like a bad idea - I’m sure other clubs were interested - but to be fair, I do t remember that much about it and at the time I was living in Scotland and not paying as much attention to football (the internet wasn’t quite what it is today).
Well as Stevie said - we're not privy to the full discussion/negotiation so we're not really in a position to draw a conclusion, or at least one that excludes emotion.
Maybe there truly were 'on-going negotiations' but in the end the club didn't think he was worth his demands, maybe he told them that he was going but the club didn't want to give up the possibility that, over the course of a season, he may change his mind. If either of these potential situations were true then that would change the narrative.
TBH I want him out more than I want him to sign a new contract, I just think that his positive contributions to a Slot team (that will be under-going even more changes) is not going to out-weigh the negatives (2 weak defenders - with Mo. - on one side of the pitch, piss-poor energy, lack of defensive nouse etc.) and I would prefer Bradley who may or may not be as productive as Trent now (that is overall in both defence and attack, though I think he's very close already as the thread I started showed) but has room to grow more into the role than Trent.
That said I can't berate him for leaving.
Over the years, many of our top players have left in pursuit of trophies. I wasn’t happy about it, but deep down, I could understand their reasons.
What bothers me about Trent leaving isn’t just the way he’s been conducting himself, as @Judge Jules pointed out. It’s the fact that he’s choosing to leave a good team.
A team that many who left before him would have loved playing for.
What bothers me about Trent leaving isn’t just the way he’s been conducting himself, as @Judge Jules pointed out. It’s the fact that he’s choosing to leave a good team.
A team that many who left before him would have loved playing for.
But that's his choice, whatever his reason(s) is/are. I can't see why that in itself should be a reason to chastise him ! Call him an idiot by all means !
And it's my choice to paint over his mural.
No it's because Trent and all footballers are perfectly aware of the unique way football works and therefore it's perfectly valid to judge him against the actions of OTHER FOOTBALLERS, rather than against anyone subject to an employment contract of any kind.
"He's just honouring his obligation!". Give me a fucking break.
You could argue that McManaman signed a contract and fulfilled it, whereas Owen signed one and broke it by leaving early.
It might just be because McManaman does commentary and therefore more visible but it's all water under the bridge as far as he's concerned I think - at least for me - he seems to have affection for the club.
Owen's 8M was an insult at the time and I don't see it as any different to the nothing we got for McManaman - the bullshit we were fed during the (bad faith) negotiations was crazy. But anyways, he remains properly dead to the club.
I don't really care so much about TAA going. If it was the version of TAA from a few years ago then I'd be gutted... but this version? I don't know. I've always been a huge fan of his but this year even I've had to reasses and wonder if we'd be better off without him given some of the performances he's turned in. The fee thing sucks but it's also the way modern football is trending.
Owen's 8M was an insult at the time and I don't see it as any different to the nothing we got for McManaman - the bullshit we were fed during the (bad faith) negotiations was crazy. But anyways, he remains properly dead to the club.
I don't really care so much about TAA going. If it was the version of TAA from a few years ago then I'd be gutted... but this version? I don't know. I've always been a huge fan of his but this year even I've had to reasses and wonder if we'd be better off without him given some of the performances he's turned in. The fee thing sucks but it's also the way modern football is trending.
Ah, the predictable wounded indignation. Let’s be clear: you, like the rest, are operating on pure emotion, not facts. You haven’t the faintest clue what’s transpired behind closed doors and that could completely change the narrative, in either direction to be fair.
Demanding more from someone who has already met their contractual obligations just because they are a football player is irrational. The counter-argument—that the club ‘brought him this far’—conveniently ignores everything he’s given in return. But of course, that doesn’t fit the preferred narrative or your grievance, does it? That he owes us.
Would a hefty transfer fee have been ideal? Undoubtedly. I'd have loved one ! But to expect one and then crucify the player for not ensuring we received one, after his years of service, is to my mind more than a little 'precious'.
Froggy, it's rare that I disagree so profoundly with one of your posts.
That "haven't the faintest clue" bit is simply untrue. We know he signed a pre-contract and still codded on that he was thinking about staying.
The "everything he's given in return" bit makes no sense either. He's been paid, and more than handsomely, for his efforts in the first team. What *hasn't* happened is the club getting a proper transfer fee for all the work IT put into HIM to get him to that point.
You can call this precious if you want to, mate. I call any such accusation garbage.
That "haven't the faintest clue" bit is simply untrue. We know he signed a pre-contract and still codded on that he was thinking about staying.
The "everything he's given in return" bit makes no sense either. He's been paid, and more than handsomely, for his efforts in the first team. What *hasn't* happened is the club getting a proper transfer fee for all the work IT put into HIM to get him to that point.
You can call this precious if you want to, mate. I call any such accusation garbage.
First of all, none of us have any idea of EXACTLY what's transpired at the end of the day. In order to be able to have any kind of normal discussion without endless caveats we have to be able to grant each other the licence to talk on the basis of the likely narrow range of scenarios. Otherwise virtually the entire forum would just consist of "can't be certain - discussion void".
Secondly, when you judge somebody's actions, practically by definition you are looking beyond their narrow legal liability. You have to judge them against the relevant standard of behaviour, and for a footballer, that's obviously OTHER FOOTBALLERS! Because they are generally subject to the same environment and pressures. It's apples vs apples.
I've said time and again that I'm not angry with him, I don't have some grievance, I don't hate him and I never hated Macca or Owen and I didn't even care that Owen went to Utd (if we're talking unrealistic expectations of footballers, for me the idea that Owen, who'd had a largely wasted career, should turn down a last chance at glory so he could play for Stoke was pretty much the epitome), but that doesn't mean there isn't SOME amount of consideration we might expect from someone who's been nurtured and loved by the fans etc.
Now maybe the circumstances were such that he actually did do everything he possibly could to, for example, ensure the club got a fee, and didn't mislead us in any way etc. It's possible. I just don't think it's likely. And if I'm right that it's basically been planned for quite some time to end like this then yeah, I think that's a bit less than we should really expect.
Nicely & logically put. I can get onboard with that.
JJ if we 'know' (I didn't) that he's signed a pre-contract with RM then of course the club does too. However a pre-contract isn't legally binding in any form it's just laying out the parameters, and the club has continued to state negotiations are on-going ... in which case a final decision is still pending and, however unlikely, could still swing either way (though again - I really don't care what he does and would probably prefer he left).
Mickey Owen won plenty with RM, no? He didn’t need a “last chance at Glory”. I’m sorry but budding liverpool legends can’t be signing for United. That’s where he lost most people.
JJ is right. They exploited the clubs trust in ways I would never see VVD or Salah too. He’s a scouser and even more loyalty is expected:
If only because he should want the best for us. But we have to spend for a replacement because the AA family decided to make a mint by deceiving and abusing trust.*
That’s not doing the best by us
* if that’s what’s happening 😆
If only because he should want the best for us. But we have to spend for a replacement because the AA family decided to make a mint by deceiving and abusing trust.*
That’s not doing the best by us
* if that’s what’s happening 😆
From the Athletic
Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have many things in common but there is one similarity that is often overlooked — the off-field value both players bring to Liverpool is as difficult to replace as their on-field performance.
Granted, their brand appeal, intelligence, instantly recognisable looks and authenticity will not fire Arne Slot’s team to a Premier League title. But combine all that with unrivalled matchday qualities and it is clear why Liverpool are in a better place by keeping the pair on board.
ADVERTISEMENT
Not only are Van Dijk and Salah, who both signed two-year contract extensions this month, clearly good enough to continue competing at the highest level, but their off-field reach and influence are also becoming more valuable to the Liverpool brand.
Although no player is bigger or more important than the club itself, the impact of these superstar players certainly helps.
Take Salah, for example. He has 101.4 million social media followers and, according to figures from ProDataStack — a service that pulls together performance metrics and useful extras such as social media reach and sentiment — the Egyptian’s total audience has already topped two billion people in this calendar year through digital mentions.
On the day of his new contract announcement, Salah was mentioned 151,000 times across social media platforms as he reached an audience of 121.3 million people and generated 5.6 million interactions in the space of 24 hours alone.
Salah is a star on the pitch and a global influencer off it (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
This is a player so good that tourists travel from across the globe to see him in action. He transcends football similarly to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, not least with a growing number of younger fans increasingly following idols ahead of specific teams.
The figures, meanwhile, are especially significant given Liverpool have not been shy to share the recent news of their own growth. A club with a strong and proud image, it was revealed last month that they are the most discussed in the Premier League, with more than one billion engagements on social media recorded this season.
Liverpool also lead the way on all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X and TikTok, while YouTube subscriptions stand at 11.2million — but helping them on the way are these two big-name players.
Although Salah was criticised for picking his moments to talk publicly about his contract negotiations, it was always clear that he wanted to remain at Liverpool and there were never any signs of letting the hold-up affect his performance or enthusiasm.
WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT
Inside Mohamed Salah’s contract saga: Lawyer’s concerns, Saudi interest – and a deal that pleases everyone
Agreeing a new deal with the Egyptian took almost a year and was not straightforward - this is how negotiations played out
Van Dijk, meanwhile, continued to speak to reporters after every game — win, lose or draw — and handled himself with class and dignity throughout. Never once did he slip up with his words — another reason he is a huge asset to Liverpool. He is as reliable and trustworthy as they come.
Marketing experts consulted for this article say that Salah and Van Dijk’s clean image is a major benefit for Liverpool.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Both players represent long-term brand safety — remaining scandal-free throughout their careers, which is rare at the top level,” says Stevyn Monaghan of the creative sports marketing agency Ear to the Ground. “They are known as consummate professionals; reliable, easy to work with, and committed to campaign success.
“They also embody Liverpool’s community values, from Salah supporting local girls’ teams to Van Dijk taking time out to speak with Sean Cox (the Liverpool supporter left with life-changing injuries after he was assaulted by a Roma fan in April 2018) and his family at a recent home game.”
Van Dijk may not carry the same immediate appeal as Salah because of his position on the pitch. He is a defender who cuts out goals rather than scoring them, but his personality, affable ways and commanding presence stand out as he has redefined the way a centre-half operates.
No captain in the Premier League is as dominant and demanding as the Netherlands international. He leads with his voice and runs the dressing room, as well as acting as the conduit between the squad and the coaching team.
Van Dijk runs the dressing room at Liverpool (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
So it is no surprise that Liverpool use Van Dijk front and centre of their promotional activities.
On the Anfield Stadium Tour, attended by hundreds, sometimes thousands, every day, the skipper welcomes every new guest into the arena via a video message. From music and underwear to alcohol-free beer, he has brands bending over backwards to partner with him. Youth audiences respond to Van Dijk as he moves across culture, from football to fashion and music, and that has a knock-on effect to the club he represents.
“Van Dijk is not the type of guy just to take a pay cheque from brands to endorse them — he actually has skin in the game,” says Ged Colleypriest, a sponsorship expert and consultant. “He’s interested in business and bits away from football. He’s cool in appearance and a really safe bet from a marketing point of view. Brands want to be associated with him because he’s elite, he’s a winner.
ADVERTISEMENT
“For Liverpool, the benefit of having Van Dijk and Salah around is all down to their longevity. With Salah turning down money from the Saudi Pro League, it reflects well on the club as they’re able to sell the ‘club legend’ status.”
Another two years with the key players on board will continue to boost Liverpool’s commercial operation as partners want to be associated with the best players in the world.
With 45 goal involvements (goals and assists) in 2024-25, Salah is the most creative player in the Premier League by some distance and Van Dijk, an ever-present this season, has reaffirmed himself as the best defender on the planet through his consistent form this term.
It’s Salah, though, who really elevates Liverpool with his global reach and ability to open the gateway to the Arab world.
“He’s the biggest name and best footballer, potentially ever, from the Middle East and African territories and, while the Premier League may be based in England, the number of football fans in those regions far exceed the amount of Premier League followers in the U.K.,” says Dan Connor, co-owner of And The New, a creative-digital sports marketing agency that has delivered campaigns in the Middle East.
“Salah is the king in those parts of the world and provides a huge gateway for Liverpool to speak to and monetise huge fan bases internationally.
“A significant portion of Liverpool’s digital success will be down to Salah (the most followed Premier League footballer on Instagram with 18 million more followers than his club) and, over time, the quality of his reach will help considerably when placing valuations on assets.”
More figures from ProDataStack’s ‘sentiment rating’ also show that Salah continues to be discussed positively online.
The 32-year-old’s net sentiment (rising to a maximum of 100) has been ranked as positive every day this year and rose from +59 on average in March to +77 this month. When people talk about Salah, they think of Liverpool. He sells the most shirts, and commands the most attention.
ADVERTISEMENT
The beauty of these figures is that they show a daily rating so, if there’s a clear change in the sentiment, it can be easily traced back to the actions of the player on that given day.
Founder Fiona Green says: “It is only very recently that we have started to see athletes and their agents appreciate, and start to actively leverage, the value of their off-field personas through data. Fusing on-field and off-field data to first measure, and then improve, the value of the athlete’s personal brand.”
The way Salah uses his social media channels to engage with his audience helps.
Van Dijk is far less active and ‘only’ has 19.4 million followers. Yet his daily sentiment has also increased this month from +66 to +78, largely because of the positive noise around his contract extension.
As worldwide influencers, Van Dijk and Salah have never lost touch with what matters the most, though. Football always comes first — before brand deals, off-field activities and personal life commitments. It is ultimately what has set the pair aside for so long.
But having that extra appeal only enhances their legendary status.
Why Van Dijk and Salah are as valuable off the field as on it for Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have many things in common but there is one similarity that is often overlooked — the off-field value both players bring to Liverpool is as difficult to replace as their on-field performance.
Granted, their brand appeal, intelligence, instantly recognisable looks and authenticity will not fire Arne Slot’s team to a Premier League title. But combine all that with unrivalled matchday qualities and it is clear why Liverpool are in a better place by keeping the pair on board.
ADVERTISEMENT
Not only are Van Dijk and Salah, who both signed two-year contract extensions this month, clearly good enough to continue competing at the highest level, but their off-field reach and influence are also becoming more valuable to the Liverpool brand.
Although no player is bigger or more important than the club itself, the impact of these superstar players certainly helps.
Take Salah, for example. He has 101.4 million social media followers and, according to figures from ProDataStack — a service that pulls together performance metrics and useful extras such as social media reach and sentiment — the Egyptian’s total audience has already topped two billion people in this calendar year through digital mentions.
On the day of his new contract announcement, Salah was mentioned 151,000 times across social media platforms as he reached an audience of 121.3 million people and generated 5.6 million interactions in the space of 24 hours alone.
Salah is a star on the pitch and a global influencer off it (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
This is a player so good that tourists travel from across the globe to see him in action. He transcends football similarly to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, not least with a growing number of younger fans increasingly following idols ahead of specific teams.
The figures, meanwhile, are especially significant given Liverpool have not been shy to share the recent news of their own growth. A club with a strong and proud image, it was revealed last month that they are the most discussed in the Premier League, with more than one billion engagements on social media recorded this season.
Liverpool also lead the way on all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X and TikTok, while YouTube subscriptions stand at 11.2million — but helping them on the way are these two big-name players.
Although Salah was criticised for picking his moments to talk publicly about his contract negotiations, it was always clear that he wanted to remain at Liverpool and there were never any signs of letting the hold-up affect his performance or enthusiasm.
WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT
Inside Mohamed Salah’s contract saga: Lawyer’s concerns, Saudi interest – and a deal that pleases everyone
Agreeing a new deal with the Egyptian took almost a year and was not straightforward - this is how negotiations played out
Van Dijk, meanwhile, continued to speak to reporters after every game — win, lose or draw — and handled himself with class and dignity throughout. Never once did he slip up with his words — another reason he is a huge asset to Liverpool. He is as reliable and trustworthy as they come.
Marketing experts consulted for this article say that Salah and Van Dijk’s clean image is a major benefit for Liverpool.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Both players represent long-term brand safety — remaining scandal-free throughout their careers, which is rare at the top level,” says Stevyn Monaghan of the creative sports marketing agency Ear to the Ground. “They are known as consummate professionals; reliable, easy to work with, and committed to campaign success.
“They also embody Liverpool’s community values, from Salah supporting local girls’ teams to Van Dijk taking time out to speak with Sean Cox (the Liverpool supporter left with life-changing injuries after he was assaulted by a Roma fan in April 2018) and his family at a recent home game.”
Van Dijk may not carry the same immediate appeal as Salah because of his position on the pitch. He is a defender who cuts out goals rather than scoring them, but his personality, affable ways and commanding presence stand out as he has redefined the way a centre-half operates.
No captain in the Premier League is as dominant and demanding as the Netherlands international. He leads with his voice and runs the dressing room, as well as acting as the conduit between the squad and the coaching team.
Van Dijk runs the dressing room at Liverpool (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
So it is no surprise that Liverpool use Van Dijk front and centre of their promotional activities.
On the Anfield Stadium Tour, attended by hundreds, sometimes thousands, every day, the skipper welcomes every new guest into the arena via a video message. From music and underwear to alcohol-free beer, he has brands bending over backwards to partner with him. Youth audiences respond to Van Dijk as he moves across culture, from football to fashion and music, and that has a knock-on effect to the club he represents.
“Van Dijk is not the type of guy just to take a pay cheque from brands to endorse them — he actually has skin in the game,” says Ged Colleypriest, a sponsorship expert and consultant. “He’s interested in business and bits away from football. He’s cool in appearance and a really safe bet from a marketing point of view. Brands want to be associated with him because he’s elite, he’s a winner.
ADVERTISEMENT
“For Liverpool, the benefit of having Van Dijk and Salah around is all down to their longevity. With Salah turning down money from the Saudi Pro League, it reflects well on the club as they’re able to sell the ‘club legend’ status.”
Another two years with the key players on board will continue to boost Liverpool’s commercial operation as partners want to be associated with the best players in the world.
With 45 goal involvements (goals and assists) in 2024-25, Salah is the most creative player in the Premier League by some distance and Van Dijk, an ever-present this season, has reaffirmed himself as the best defender on the planet through his consistent form this term.
It’s Salah, though, who really elevates Liverpool with his global reach and ability to open the gateway to the Arab world.
“He’s the biggest name and best footballer, potentially ever, from the Middle East and African territories and, while the Premier League may be based in England, the number of football fans in those regions far exceed the amount of Premier League followers in the U.K.,” says Dan Connor, co-owner of And The New, a creative-digital sports marketing agency that has delivered campaigns in the Middle East.
“Salah is the king in those parts of the world and provides a huge gateway for Liverpool to speak to and monetise huge fan bases internationally.
“A significant portion of Liverpool’s digital success will be down to Salah (the most followed Premier League footballer on Instagram with 18 million more followers than his club) and, over time, the quality of his reach will help considerably when placing valuations on assets.”
More figures from ProDataStack’s ‘sentiment rating’ also show that Salah continues to be discussed positively online.
The 32-year-old’s net sentiment (rising to a maximum of 100) has been ranked as positive every day this year and rose from +59 on average in March to +77 this month. When people talk about Salah, they think of Liverpool. He sells the most shirts, and commands the most attention.
ADVERTISEMENT
The beauty of these figures is that they show a daily rating so, if there’s a clear change in the sentiment, it can be easily traced back to the actions of the player on that given day.
Founder Fiona Green says: “It is only very recently that we have started to see athletes and their agents appreciate, and start to actively leverage, the value of their off-field personas through data. Fusing on-field and off-field data to first measure, and then improve, the value of the athlete’s personal brand.”
The way Salah uses his social media channels to engage with his audience helps.
Van Dijk is far less active and ‘only’ has 19.4 million followers. Yet his daily sentiment has also increased this month from +66 to +78, largely because of the positive noise around his contract extension.
As worldwide influencers, Van Dijk and Salah have never lost touch with what matters the most, though. Football always comes first — before brand deals, off-field activities and personal life commitments. It is ultimately what has set the pair aside for so long.
But having that extra appeal only enhances their legendary status.
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