Creating this A3 mixed media portrait of Mohamed Salah was as much about emotion as it was about technique. I didn’t just want to capture a likeness—I wanted to capture a moment, a feeling, a memory that every Liverpool FC fan carries with them: the pride and exhilaration of lifting the league title.
From the very beginning, I made a deliberate decision to treat colour as a storytelling tool. Much of Salah’s figure is rendered in detailed monochrome, allowing the textures of skin, beard, and muscle to feel grounded and real. But then, in contrast, I introduced bold, saturated colour in two key areas: the shirt and the trophy.
The shirt was always going to be the heartbeat of the piece. Liverpool’s red isn’t just a colour—it’s identity, history, and passion. I layered multiple shades of red, from deep crimson to brighter scarlet highlights, to give the fabric a sense of movement and life. The subtle gold accents woven into the kit were carefully picked out, not just for realism, but to echo triumph and prestige. I wanted the shirt to almost glow against the grayscale figure, as if the spirit of the club itself was radiating outward.
The trophy, however, became the emotional focal point. I leaned into rich metallic tones—golds, silvers, and reflective highlights—to make it feel iconic and almost untouchable. But more importantly, I intertwined Liverpool’s colours within it: ribbons of red cascading down, mirroring the shirt and visually linking player and prize. That connection was intentional. For me, it symbolises how inseparable the team and that victory are—how the players didn’t just win the trophy, they became part of its story.
One of my favourite aspects of the composition is the moment itself: Salah kissing the trophy. It’s quiet, reverent, and deeply human. By keeping his skin tones in grayscale while letting the reds and golds dominate the scene, I wanted to suggest that this moment transcends the individual. It’s bigger than one player—it belongs to the club, the fans, and that unforgettable title-winning season.
But as I worked on this piece, there was another layer of meaning that began to settle in. Knowing that Salah is set to leave at the end of this season, it’s impossible not to view the image differently. This isn’t just a celebration—it’s a tribute.
Over the past nine years, he hasn’t just been a great player; he’s defined an era. Since arriving in 2017, he’s scored over 250 goals in more than 400 appearances for Liverpool, becoming the club’s third-highest all-time scorer and rewriting record after record along the way . In the Premier League alone, he’s delivered nearly 200 goals and over 90 assists—numbers that place him among the greatest the league has ever seen .
What stands out to me most is his consistency. Season after season, he has delivered—whether it was 18 league goals and 10 assists in 2023/24 , or the remarkable 2024/25 title-winning campaign where he produced around 29 goals and 18 assists, leading the charge as Liverpool reclaimed the league . Those numbers aren’t just impressive—they’re era-defining.
And that’s what I wanted the colour in this piece to reflect.
The red of the shirt isn’t just about Liverpool—it’s about his Liverpool. The Liverpool shaped by his goals, his iconic left-foot finishes, and his relentless drive. The gold in the trophy isn’t just about one title—it’s about everything he’s helped the club achieve: league titles, European nights, and moments that will live on far beyond his final game.
As an artist, I often think about how a piece will feel years from now. This one, I think, will feel like a snapshot of a legacy. A reminder of what it meant to watch Mohamed Salah in red, at his peak, delivering season after season.
Working in mixed media allowed me to push these contrasts further. The precision of pencil gave me control over form and detail, while coloured pencils and markers brought intensity and richness to the areas that mattered most. That balance between restraint and vibrancy is what gives the piece its emotional weight.
Looking at the finished artwork now, it feels like more than a celebration of a title. It feels like a farewell—one painted in red and gold, honouring not just a victory, but a legacy that has defined for nearly a decade.
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