Children 'holding back tears' over Salah departure

"He will be coming back won't he?"

That was how eight-year-old Mo Salah superfan and club mascot Isaac reacted to the news that his footballing hero would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.

Isaac, who has a genetic condition called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome which affects his mobility and learning, was surprised at his school by Salah and team-mate Virgil Van Dijk in November 2024.

Melissa, Isaac's mum, told the BBC: "They were so caring towards Isaac. They were so genuine, I couldn't have wished for anything better, really."

She added: "They were lovely. We were all treated like we had known them for a long time."

Despite a lacklustre final season Salah is set to go down as one of the finest players in the history of the club, scoring 255 goals in 435 appearances across his nine years at Anfield.

But his departure, announced on his personal Instagram page on Monday, was felt particularly keenly by young fans who have met him in person.

Isaac, who lives not far from the Reds training facility in Kirkby, bumped into Salah while watching the team train a couple of weeks ago and the Egyptian star took a few moments to chat.

Melissa said: "He was asking Isaac, how was school, has he been going to the game, things like that, so that was really nice."

When told that Salah was leaving, Isaac seemed reluctant to accept his hero would not be turning out at Anfield again.

But Melissa said the hunt was now on to track down tickets for Salah's final home game.

"I believe that he's done a lot for the fans and things that people would never even know about, that he does behind closed doors sort of thing," she said.

"So I think it's just going to be a massive loss and it's going to be a really, really sad day that last game of the season and stuff, it's going to be devastating."

Leigh, 34, is another parent whose children have memories of meeting Salah to treasure.

Her three children - Evie, nine, Paisley, seven, and Louis, five - all have Type 1 diabetes, and were invited to the training ground in August last year due to their work raising awareness about the condition.

"It was a bit of a dream come true especially for Paisley because he's Paisley's favourite player but the three kids were pretty taken away when he walked in," she said.

"He's a massive hero in our house for the kids. Obviously he's a big part of Liverpool and he's done a lot while he's played for Liverpool as well."

The news of his departure sparked an emotional reaction from Paisley in particular.

"Last night, when the kids found out, they were gutted," Leigh said. "Paisley was nearly crying, she was holding back tears trying not to get upset."

Leigh said Salah's struggles this season would not affect their memories of him.

"He's part of the club," she said. "He's a legend, he's done a lot for Liverpool.

"Obviously he's not had the best season this year, but it's a whole team. It's not just one person that it's down to.

"We're just wishing him the best of luck going forward."

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