Who is Ian Rush? The Liverpool legend whose goalscoring heroics Mohamed Salah is emulating

Mohamed Salah's four goals against Watford on Saturday took the Liverpool forward's season tally to 36, just 11 shy of the club's all-time record return in a single season.

The man that holds the record is Ian Rush, who struck 47 times during the 1983-84 campaign on his way to European glory.

However, Salah sits slightly ahead of the former Reds striker in terms of goals per game, with Rush having notched 35 in 49 appearances by March 19, 1984.

Salah needs to hit 12 goals in the nine remaining fixtures to surpass the legendary Welshman's record, though he will be unable to match the 65 games played by Rush in the record-breaking season.

Here, as the season runs into the final chapter, Goal takes a look at Rush's success, the race between the two, and Liverpool's all-time top scorers.

Who is Ian Rush?

Rush is widely considered as one of the finest players to have ever played for Liverpool and remains the club's all-time top scorer.

Born in Wales, Rush began his footballing career with Chester FC before leaving for Liverpool as an 18-year-old, despite growing up as a fan of Merseyside rivals Everton.

At the time, the £300,000 fee paid by Liverpool made Rush the most expensive teenager in football, though they would later sell him to Juventus for £3.2 million.

It took Rush nine senior games to open his account for the Reds and his initial struggle was enough for him to ask for a transfer away from the club, though manager Bob Paisley rejected the request.

He quickly developed a reputation for his ability in front of goal while he was also renowned for ground he covered during a game.

Rush would go on to make 660 appearances for Liverpool and represent Wales on 73 occasions, scoring 28 goals for his country.

He'd also go on to have a brief stint in management, taking over boyhood club Chester following a spell in coaching under Reds boss Gerard Houllier in 2003.

Playing career

Rush spent seven seasons at Anfield before leaving for Juventus in 1987, with the attraction of European football and a boost in salary proving too attractive to turn down.

He would spend just one season in Turin, however, after struggling to adapt to life in Italy.

After another eight seasons at Liverpool, Rush spent a season at Leeds United but would score just three goals in 36 Premier League appearances. 

Rush would then spend a short time at Newcastle, Sheffield United, and Wrexham, and played three games for Sydney Olympic before retiring in 2000.

What did he win?

Rush was a crucial part of Liverpool's success throughout the 80s, helping the Reds to five First Division titles. 

As well as winning the league, Rush picked up five League Cups, three FA Cups, three Charity Shields and scored during a penalty shootout in the 1984 European Cup final to secure the trophy for Joe Fagan's side.

Rush ended as Liverpool's top scorer in eight separate seasons, was the PFA Young Player of the Year in 1983, the PFA Players Player in 1984, and won a host of other individual accolades such as the European Golden Boot in the same season.

He also remains as the top scorer in the Merseyside Derby with 25 goals, with Everton's Dixie Dean in second place on 19.

What has Rush said about Salah?

"There's already been talk of Real Madrid looking at him, and who can blame them? In today's inflated market, it wouldn't surprise me if Liverpool one day received a 200 million pound [225m euros] bid for him," Rush is quoted as saying by Marca. "Hopefully, he is happy where he is - after all, he only arrived last summer.

"There's a time and a place to sell a player if the right money comes in, but for Liverpool, it's certainly not now. If they are thinking about winning the Premier League in the near future, then you can only achieve that with players like Salah. You can't be a selling club."

Mohamed Salah has been named as Goal's Arab Player of the Year for 2017https://t.co/xN5bElfY8B pic.twitter.com/RDqT0C6m65

— Goal (@goal) February 2, 2018

Following Salah picking up the African Player of the Year, Rush also compared the Reds forward to the best players in the world.

"On current form I would place Mo Salah ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo," he said.

"He's better than them at the moment. Mo is also the African Player of the Year, which - considering the standard of their players throughout Europe - is a great honour."

What has Salah said?

"In Chelsea I didn't play, so I didn't have my chances. I said to all my friends, I think I said it on many interviews as well, that I wanted to come back," Salah said. "I like the Premier League a lot. I feel it has my style of football. I like to play [in] the Premier League.

"I said since day one here that I'm happy here at Liverpool and I want to show my football here. If you look at me now and five years ago, everything has changed - mentally, physically, everything."

Liverpool's Premier League top scorers by season

Liverpool's all-time top scorers

Liverpool's 30-goal club

Only 13 players have ever reached the 30-goal mark for Liverpool during the club's career, with Salah being one of them.