Hello and welcome to the 2024 edition of the annual Liverpool.com awards! Every year, we hand out (virtual) prizes recognizing some of our highlights of the last 365 days, and Mohamed Salah remains right near the top of our thinking once again.
He’s joined by some new names this time around, like Ryan Gravenberch, as well as some stars who have been around for much longer. And, of course, Jurgen Klopp gone to be replaced by Arne Slot.
So join us as we name the biggest moment, best goal, MVP and more. And just as importantly, use it as an excuse to look back on what has been another year filled with iconic Liverpool moments. Let us know in the comments if you agree with our picks…
Biggest moment
Maybe it is recency bias (and also with a couple of the other categories in mind; we don’t want to overlap!) but the week in which Liverpool beat Real Madrid and Manchester City felt like a huge moment. The Reds beat both sides to establish themselves at the summit of the Premier League and the Champions League.
We will see more big moments under Slot, it seems. This particular week was strong evidence of that being the case. Already, he has overseen big results, but back-to-back wins like this — without conceding a goal — prove the Dutchman belongs at the top. It was two moments, technically, but it was quite the few days at Anfield.
Best goal
It was only when I started to go through the goals for this category that it became clear there weren’t that many to choose from. Liverpool has scored a lot of goals, but few have been long-range worldies.
A goal from Alexis Mac Allister is right up there: the one against Sheffield United at Anfield. That was a great one in terms of it being a winner and it flew into the top corner. The only other one that stands out was Conor Bradley when he announced himself against Chelsea with a sensational performance.
Best newcomer
There is an easy winner here, if you allow me to call Ryan Gravenberch a newcomer. He signed in 2023 but he announced himself in 2024, slotting in at the base of the midfield brilliantly. There is still more to come from him but there has been no better holding midfielder in the world so far in the new season.
Liverpool might need to find someone who can help him out so he isn’t overplayed, but the failure to sign Martin Zubimendi could have been used as a stick to beat Slot with at the start of his tenure had things gone wrong. Gravenberch has ensured they have run smoothly with a sensational transition to being a deep-lying player.
Most shocking moment
Jurgen Klopp’s exit came out of the blue for everyone: fans, those at the club, and even his players. It was a monumental moment when he announced he would be leaving in January and nothing comes close to that in terms of it being a shock. No one saw it coming. Thankfully, a handful behind the scenes knew about it long enough in advance to make the right decision on a replacement.
Best post-match interview
This is a bit of a cheat answer for this one but I’d be surprised if anyone argued with me. On stage after his final match in charge of Liverpool, Klopp’s chat with Peter McDowall from LFCTV is top of the list by a distance.
Klopp insisted that he wouldn’t want to be center stage and stuck to his word. He wasn’t in the center circle for long, and he used the opportunity to announce that Slot would replace him — something that hadn’t been confirmed at the time. It felt like an iconic moment even as it was happening. The early signs from Slot would back that up too.
MVP
How can you look beyond Mohamed Salah? Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker are both high up there too but Salah has been in remarkable form since the summer. Even when he had his poor patch earlier in the season, he was still the main man for Liverpool.
Salah is comfortably the best player that Liverpool has in forward areas and he will net more than 30 goals this season. More than that, though, he is the chief creator and the player who takes the initiative when big moments are required.
Only his age stops a new contract being a given at Anfield. Even paying him more than Liverpool has been comfortable with in the past, however, will still be cheaper than trying to replace him. Most valuable? He’s essentially priceless.
Reports: Liverpool.com
