Troy Deeney has sparked debate after excluding Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah from his list of world-class players.
Despite Salah’s incredible record of 165 Premier League goals in 274 games, Deeney argues that being “world class” requires more than stats.
“It’s about transcending your team, lifting them to glory by yourself,” Deeney wrote on SunSport, emphasizing consistency and influence over mere numbers.
He also pointed out that Salah’s impact often relied on the synergy with teammates like Sadio Mane, who he believes was more effective during their peak years together.
Deeney applied Graeme Souness’ criteria for world class, whether a player could walk into any starting XI globally.
Here are the five players Deeney considers world class:
Alisson (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Rodri (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
Deeney concluded by reiterating that Salah remains an incredible player but falls short of the world-class tag by his definition.
He also hinted that other players like Kylian Mbappé, despite their accolades, currently don’t meet his standard for “world class” due to dips in form.