From Salah to LeBron: How do fans cope when their favourites leave?

Mohamed Salah has announced that he will be leaving Liverpool this summer, after a nine-year spell that has seen him become a club legend - scoring 255 goals to date, as well as helping to bring the Champions League and Premier League trophies to Anfield for the first time in decades. Though the 33-year-old’s departure wasn’t totally unexpected, the reaction to Salah’s announcement has reflected the bond he has built with both the fans and the city over the past decade, with many saying it feels like the end of an era – so how do they move on? Liverpool fan and podcaster Abigail Rudkin talks to More than the Score’s John Bennett about the manner of Mohamed Salah’s departure, and the impact he’s had on both the football club and the wider city. She also reflects on how Salah worked to build a bond with fans at Anfield, and why his farewell has been received very differently to when Liverpool native Trent Alexander-Arnold chose to leave Anfield for Real Madrid. John is also joined by Joe Vardon, basketball writer for the Athletic, to discuss how departures in football compare to the NBA, where in 2025, the Dallas Mavericks’ franchise player, Luka Doncic, found himself traded to the LA Lakers seemingly with no notice – and apparently without knowledge of the trade until it had already happened. Joe also considers the manner in which these departures get announced, and how LeBron James briefly went from hometown hero to hate figure when he staged a full-length TV special in 2010 to reveal he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From Formula One to netball, MMA to figure skating, and Grand Slam tennis to Diamond League athletics. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like Tour de France winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Winter Olympic champion Elana Meyers Taylor, South African football icon Benni McCarthy and cricket superstar Smriti Mandhana, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from football super-agents to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels. And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email morethanthescore@bbc.co.uk, or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore