Mohamed Salah breaks the silence. Three years after the departure of Sadio Mané de Liverpool, the Reds player returned, in an interview with France Football, on his relationship with his former teammate. A relationship marked by a certain rivalry between the two attackers, who nevertheless formed with Roberto Firmino a formidable offensive trio between 2017 and 2022.
“Yes, there was tension with Sadio. Be careful, we were professional to the end, I don't think it affected the team ”recognizes today the Egyptian international. The 32 -year -old, author of 28 goals in 35 Premier League games this season, insists on mutual respect, despite a distant personal relationship. “It's human to want more, I understand it, he is a competitor. Outside the fields, we were not very close but we have always respected »he explains.
If the alchemy on the ground has always been there, it masked very real tensions behind the scenes. Salah also looks back on the decisive role of Roberto Firmino in the balance of the trio. “Bobby was so important to connect us, so intelligent in his movements with or without a balloon, so just technically and really altruistic. He made us all better ”he says.
An ego war?
But the dynamics of the trio ended up evolving, each seeking to shine individually. “Me, I marked a lot and then Sadio said to himself that in turn he could also mark more,”, advance Salah, pointing to a form of internal competition to establish itself as the real offensive leader of the Reds. A ” Small egos war “
Who, if it has not destabilized the group, left traces.
Another sensitive subject addressed in the interview: the selfish player label that some have glued to Salah over the seasons. “People can think what they want is their right. But I invite everyone to note that the one who gave the most assists to Mané, it is me (18) ”he insists. Before concluding, lucid:
“We can look at the facts but, obviously, it is easier to swing sentences like that, it makes the headlines, I know how it works. »»
