There aren't many certainties in life.
How does the old saying go again? Life, death, taxes. Three things which are a given.
Well, add Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane competing for the Premier League Golden Boot to that list.
Since the Egyptian's arrival at Liverpool in 2017, year upon year Salah has locked horns with Kane to go all out and win the coveted prize.
The two men have struck up a fierce rivalry and, whether they would care to admit it or not, almost certainly keep an eye on how the other one is getting along in the scoring stakes.
Salah arrived at a time when Liverpool were on the up and starting to look truly exciting under Jurgen Klopp, but he certainly was not regarded as the revelation he has since become.
The Egyptian arrived back on English shores with a burning desire to prove himself after a failed spell at Chelsea, meaning Liverpool were set to unleash a star hell-bent on destroying everything in his path.
For Kane, this spelled bad news.
The Tottenham ace had very much found his niche in north London and had already carved out a reputation as one of Europe's most feared marksmen by the time Salah arrived, almost four years ago.
Kane had claimed the Golden Boot for two seasons consecutively prior to Liverpool signing Salah, but then everything changed after the Anfield new boy plundered 32 goals.
It was a shock to the system for Kane and, arguably, the motivation he needed to unlock a new level within himself to reach even greater heights.
Salah's debut season wasn't without controversy when it came to wrestling the crown off Kane.
So frustrated was the Tottenham striker with the progress of his new rival that all the stops were pulled out in order to remain in the chase.
During a Premier League clash with Stoke, Kane remained insistent that the ball took the most fleeting of glances off him on its way into the goal, following Christian Eriksen's shot.
The England captain went as far as to lobby the Premier League to award a goal to him and not his Danish team-mate in April 2018. He was successful.
The goal was granted and it took his tally for the season to 25, four off Salah at that point. Naturally, the football world was not shy in offering a reaction.
Rival fans sniped at Kane, commenting on social media that he would steal a goal off his own family members if he could. Others, in a more sympathetic mood, outlined how Kane's actions showed the hallmarks of a determined winner.
As for Salah, the Egyptian and his Liverpool cohorts could not resist but poke fun.
Within moments of the announcement from the league that the goal would be noted down as Kane's, Salah simply tweeted: "Wooooooow really?" which was followed by quizzical replies from team-mates Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Simon Mignolet and Gini Wijnaldum.
The perceived injustice gave Salah the fuel he needed to kick on.
Salah would eventually set a new record for the most goals in a 38-game Premier League season, ending the campaign on 32 when hitting the back of the net on the final weekend against Brighton.
Kane had also been spurred into life in the last weeks of the campaign, and managed to reach an impressive total of 30, but his gong was surrendered to Salah.
In the aftermath, the Egyptian paid tribute to Kane while his beaming smile was reflecting in the golden trophy.
However, at the same time, Salah vowed to repeat his heroics the very next season. Kane, meanwhile, made something of a thinly veiled dig at the Liverpool man by saying: 'For me it is about doing it year after year.
'This is my fourth year now and the first time I have got to 30 goals in the Prem. Now it's about getting to 30 goals for the next two or three years – that's the aim.
'Any player wants to do it on a consistent basis and that's what defines a good player from a great player.'
Salah clearly took Kane's challenge personally.
Perhaps as much as the Egyptian's arrival helped Kane elevate his game, it was the comments from the Tottenham man that assisted Salah in re-calibrating and figuring out how to score more and more.
Salah would follow up his sublime debut season by winning the Golden Boot again at the end of the very next campaign, albeit sharing it with team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (each with 22 goals).
The Liverpool No 11 rose to Kane's challenge, while the Spurs man himself endured a difficult campaign which was marred by injuries.
He would provide just 17 goals - an impressive figure by the standard of most strikers but Kane's lowest in the league for Spurs since breaking into the team.
Again Salah marveled in the limelight, and took the chance to remind the football world that he had been true to his word and provided the goods one more.
After receiving the joint honour, Salah said: 'Harry Kane is a good player and he proved for many years.
'He’s a top scorer for his team and in English football.'
Yet he could not help himself but offer the cheeky addition of: 'Before I came!'
To make things worse, Salah and Liverpool would go on to defeat Kane and Tottenham in the Champions League final just weeks later.
While Kane did not respond to Salah's jibe, it goes without saying that it will have been taken to heart.
The statistics don't lie, however. Since Salah's arrival in English football Kane has not lifted the Golden Boot again.
Last season, both rivals missed out on the honour as Leicester City's Jamie Vardy rediscovered a purple patch to amass 23 goals over the campaign.
Salah did however maintain his prolific form and notched 19 league goals - one ahead of Kane's 18, as Liverpool stormed to the league title.
It means Salah has outscored Kane in every season he has played in the Premier League since returning with Liverpool, but now the Spurs star has the chance to make amends.
Given Kane's recent bombshell announcement that he wishes to leave Tottenham at the end of the season, the 27-year-old has the chance to go out with a flourish in north London by knocking Salah off his perch.
Kane will have opportunities against Aston Villa at home and Leicester City away to find the back of the net and edge in front of Salah, while the Liverpool man is transfixed on helping his side defeat Burnley and Crystal Palace in order to achieve a top-four finish.
As another season concludes, another Kane-Salah contest will be settled. How long this can continue for is anyone's guess but, should they each remain in English football, it would take a brave individual to bet against the goals drying up any time soon.
From two supposed one-season wonders, Kane and Salah are on course to go down as the greatest goal-getters of them all.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com