Three veterans that left on free transfers and shone | OneFootball

So, Liverpool finally bit the bullet. And let’s face it, they simply had to, didn’t they?

It was announced on April 11th that Mohamed Salah had penned a new two-year deal to remain with Liverpool. With the ‘Egyptian King’ set to turn 33 in June and with his contract expiring in the same month, many had expected him to follow Trent Alexander-Arnold and perhaps even Virgil van Dijk out of Anfield for free.

With the club’s owners notoriously frugal regarding extensions for ageing assets and Salah demanding a hefty pay packet to remain on Merseyside, it seemed that the only viable option was that he would leave, perhaps even to Saudi Arabia.

Salah’s Age-Defying Exploits

However, despite his advancing years, Salah has been in scintillating form so far this term. The former Roma man has bagged some 32 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions so far this season, his best return since his maiden campaign with the Reds seven years ago.

He leads the Premier League for goals and assists, while at the weekend he eclipsed Thierry Henry and Erling Haaland for the most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season.

His goalscoring exploits have resulted in Liverpool building up a 13-point margin at the summit of the Premier League, and now online sports betting sites can’t see them slipping up in their hunt for the title. The latest online sports betting at Bovada odds makes the Reds a mighty 1/80 favourite to seal the deal in the coming weeks, with second-place Arsenal all the way out at 25/1. And much of that success has been built on Salah’s back.

Perhaps that’s always been the case. The Egyptian was the star of the show when Liverpool won their first Premier League title in 30 years back in 2020. He also famously scored the first goal in the Reds’ Champions League triumph against Spurs the year prior.

Now, he is guaranteed to remain at Anfield at least beyond this summer, but potentially up to the summer of 2027.

If he had walked on a free, though, there was a chance that he could have followed in the footsteps of these veterans, who were allowed to leave prematurely for nothing. Luckily, Liverpool won’t have to look back in regret like some other clubs.

Three veterans that left on free transfers and shone

Andrea Pirlo

Throughout his decade-long stint with AC Milan, Andrea Pirlo became arguably the best deep-lying playmaker on the planet. The Italian won all there was to win with the Rossoneri, twice capturing both the Scudetto and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the Coppa Italia in 2003. He was a key component of Marcello Lippi’s World Cup-winning team in 2006, but by 2011, the powers that be at the San Siro believed his prowess had begun to wane.

With his contract expiring and Pirlo at the age of 32, Milan decided against offering him a new contract. Rivals Juventus were only too happy to pick up the all-time great on a free transfer, and he went on to prove that he had plenty left in the tank.

Throughout four years in Turin, the central midfield maestro took his game to another level, winning Serie A in each of his campaigns with the club, as well as the 2015 Champions League final. In three of those title-winning seasons, he was named Serie A Footballer of the Year.

To make matters worse for Milan, their performances fell off a cliff. They finished eighth and tenth in the league in 2014 and 2015 respectively, while their former magician was winning silverware.

Thiago Silva

Brazilian defender Thiago Silva was a late bloomer on the world stage. He didn’t make it to Europe until he was 25 years old, when he joined AC Milan. From there he moved on to Paris Saint-Germain. After eight years in the French capital, Silva was allowed to leave the Parc Des Princes on a free transfer at the age of 35, and he headed to Chelsea.

At Stamford Bridge, the classy centre-half proved that he was still one of the world’s very best. Silva anchored a Blues defence that went on to win the Champions League in his maiden campaign with the club, the one trophy that his former employers in Paris craved more than any other. He remained in London until he was a few months shy of his 40th birthday, making 155 appearances before returning to his homeland with Fluminense.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Mercurial Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was another player who was allowed to leave the city of love at the expiry of his contract. After 156 goals in 180 appearances – including 50 goals in 51 games in his final season – the former Barcelona star exited Paris at the age of 35.

He joined up with former manager Jose Mourinho at Manchester United and proved that age was just a number, scoring 28 goals in 46 appearances in his maiden campaign and helping the Red Devils to win both the Europa League and the EFL Cup.

He would go on to play until he was 41 years of age, starring in the MLS with Los Angeles Galaxy before returning to AC Milan and winning the Scudetto for a fifth and final time.

Read – Five of the best loan signings in Europe in 2024/25

See more – Segundo Castillo, Onana’s misguided spat and Amorim’s glare

Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok