Mohamed Salah says there was “tension” between himself and Sadio Mane while they both played for Liverpool, but added they “always respected each other”.
Mane joined Liverpool in 2016, with Salah heading to Anfield a year later. They regularly played on either wing until Mane departed for Bayern Munich in 2022, having scored 120 goals during his six-year spell in Merseyside.
Advertisement
The relationship between the two forwards was brought into question following Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Burnley in 2019, during which Mane reacted furiously as Salah opted to shoot instead of square the ball to the now-Al Nassr forward. Mane was substituted shortly after the incident and appeared to be calmed down by players and staff on the bench.
“Yes, there was tension with Sadio,” Salah said in an interview with France Football, via L’Equipe. “Mind you, we were professional until the end, I don’t think it affected the team. It’s human to want more, I understand that, he’s a competitor. Off the pitch, we weren’t very close, but we always respected each other.”
The pairing of Salah and Mane was Liverpool’s main source of goals throughout the five years they played with one another, often appearing in a front three alongside Roberto Firmino. Salah scored 19 goals and assisted 10 when Liverpool won the Premier League in 2020, while Mane scored 18 and assisted seven.
Salah pointed to his assist record to dismiss suggestions he acted selfishly in the Liverpool frontline.
“People can think what they want, it’s their right,” Salah said. “But I invite everyone to note that the person who provided Mané with the most assists is me (18). We can look at the facts, but it’s obviously easier to throw out phrases like that; it makes the headlines, I know how it works.
“As long as it remains within the limits of respect, that’s fine with me. But that doesn’t mean that this opinion is true. At the end of the day, I know what I did, and my conscience is clear.”
Suggestions of tensions between Salah (Egypt) and Mane (Senegal) also stemmed from the fact they played for rival African nations. The most notable of their international clashes against one another came in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final, in which Mane’s Senegal triumphed 4-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw.
Advertisement
Salah said during the 2017-18 season he and Mane were “very close,” adding “we’re friends, we talk a lot to each other.”
Salah set a new record for goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season when he reached 45 (27 goals, 18 assists) as he set up Luis Diaz to score against West Ham in April.
He added a further goal to his tally during Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, as his side were crowned Premier League champions for the second time in six seasons.
Liverpool, who secured the Premier League title on April 27, are next in action against Arsenal on Sunday.
(Photo: Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
With strong start, Braves rookie Drake Baldwin makes case for more playing time
PITTSBURGH — There was some Atlanta Braves organizational debate last month about whether rookie Drake Baldwin would be better served staying in the majors in a backup role or returning to Triple A to continue his development by catching every day.But there wasn’t too much debate.And we’ve seen on a regular basis, including Baldwin’s 11th-inning walk-off single Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds, why the “keep him here” opinions carried the day. Baldwin has shown consistently that he belongs in the majors and helped the Braves stay afloat during their six-week roller-coaster ride to begin the season.Advertisement“He’s helping us win games,” said Brian Snitker, who will start Baldwin at catcher Sunday in a series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates.The Braves manager continues to live up to his promise to president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos after veteran catcher Sean Murphy returned […]
Celtics leave identity crisis behind in Game 3 win over Knicks
NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum says he lives a great life. The Boston Celtics star knows he makes a lot of money, takes care of his family, and experiences things most people can only dream of.But with that comes a price. Expectations. Blame. Disappointment. A reality that others are constantly trying to distort because you either made their day or ruined it by living your life.AdvertisementIt’s why, after his losing turnover to end Game 2, Tatum threw himself under the bus. Everyone else was doing it, so he might as well join them. Why resist the tide when you can swim with the current?“You just understand what comes with being that guy,” Tatum said after the Celtics won Game 3 Saturday 115-93, bringing the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1. “I get a lot of praise, I get a lot of […]
Broncos’ RJ Harvey eager to make a needed ‘immediate impact’ on run game
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The jump cut was sharper than a cleaver. It left Jahdae Barron grabbing for air and searching for an answer.So the Denver Broncos’ first-round pick stood on the seat of an empty locker after Saturday’s rookie minicamp practice and hoisted himself above a crowd of media members gathered around rookie running back RJ Harvey. Barron turned on his phone’s camera, waited for an opening and lobbed a query of his own at his new teammate.Advertisement“Why did you juke Jahdae today with that move at practice?” Barron asked.When the Broncos selected Harvey with the 60th pick in last month’s draft, coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton were asked to project Harvey’s potential impact as a pass catcher after being used relatively little in that role at Central Florida. They were questioned about the running back’s blocking […]
Hurricanes smother Capitals in commanding Game 3 shutout: Takeaways
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Saturday, taking back control of their Stanley Cup playoff second-round series behind an outstanding game from goalie Frederik Andersen and, finally, a flurry of offensive production.The Capitals, meanwhile, couldn’t sustain momentum after their best period of the series, and goaltender Logan Thompson wasn’t good enough to bail them out.AdvertisementAndersen saved all 21 shots he faced. Thompson made 24 saves on 28 shots.Here’s what I saw in Game 3.Svechnikov breaks throughAndrei Svechnikov had his share of chances in the first two-plus games; the crossbar he hit in the first period was his third of the series. All those near-misses were the first thing that came to mind when he opened the scoring off an offensive-zone faceoff win by Sebastian Aho.Svechnikov was asked the quantity-over-quality question ahead of Game 3, […]
Pulgar e Allan são substituídos com dores em jogo contra Bahia e viram preocupação no Flamengo
O Flamengo pode ter dois novos problemas para se preocupar, já que Allan e Erick Pulgar sentiram problemas na coxa e deixaram a partida contra o Bahia, pela 8ª rodada do Brasileirão, durante o primeiro tempo. A dupla de volantes precisou ser substituída por Luiz Araújo e Evertton Araújo, respectivamente, e será reavaliada pelo departamento médico do clube amanhã. Flamengo x Bahia: onde assistir ao vivo ao jogo do BrasileirãoTentativa de assalto, depoimento à polícia e homenagem por 100 jogos no Flamengo: Rossi vive 48 horas de emoções distintas A primeira substituição foi a de Allan, feita repentinamente aos 14 minutos de jogo. O volante pediu para sair ao sentir dores na coxa, e Filipe Luís precisou mandou Luiz aquecer rapidamente. O meia havia recebido a oportunidade como titular nesta noite no Maracanã por conta da suspensão de De La […]
Brett Baty cranks a three-run homer to bring Mets within striking distance of Cubs
Major League Baseball Video Details Brett Baty cranked a three-run homer that brought the New York Mets within striking distance of the Chicago Cubs. 2 MINS AGO・Major League Baseball・0:13
Related
With strong start, Braves rookie Drake Baldwin makes case for more playing time
PITTSBURGH — There was some Atlanta Braves organizational debate last month about whether rookie Drake Baldwin would be better served staying in the majors in a backup role or returning to Triple A to continue his development by catching every day.But there wasn’t too much debate.And we’ve seen on a regular basis, including Baldwin’s 11th-inning walk-off single Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds, why the “keep him here” opinions carried the day. Baldwin has shown consistently that he belongs in the majors and helped the Braves stay afloat during their six-week roller-coaster ride to begin the season.Advertisement“He’s helping us win games,” said Brian Snitker, who will start Baldwin at catcher Sunday in a series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates.The Braves manager continues to live up to his promise to president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos after veteran catcher Sean Murphy returned […]
Celtics leave identity crisis behind in Game 3 win over Knicks
NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum says he lives a great life. The Boston Celtics star knows he makes a lot of money, takes care of his family, and experiences things most people can only dream of.But with that comes a price. Expectations. Blame. Disappointment. A reality that others are constantly trying to distort because you either made their day or ruined it by living your life.AdvertisementIt’s why, after his losing turnover to end Game 2, Tatum threw himself under the bus. Everyone else was doing it, so he might as well join them. Why resist the tide when you can swim with the current?“You just understand what comes with being that guy,” Tatum said after the Celtics won Game 3 Saturday 115-93, bringing the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1. “I get a lot of praise, I get a lot of […]
Broncos’ RJ Harvey eager to make a needed ‘immediate impact’ on run game
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The jump cut was sharper than a cleaver. It left Jahdae Barron grabbing for air and searching for an answer.So the Denver Broncos’ first-round pick stood on the seat of an empty locker after Saturday’s rookie minicamp practice and hoisted himself above a crowd of media members gathered around rookie running back RJ Harvey. Barron turned on his phone’s camera, waited for an opening and lobbed a query of his own at his new teammate.Advertisement“Why did you juke Jahdae today with that move at practice?” Barron asked.When the Broncos selected Harvey with the 60th pick in last month’s draft, coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton were asked to project Harvey’s potential impact as a pass catcher after being used relatively little in that role at Central Florida. They were questioned about the running back’s blocking […]
Hurricanes smother Capitals in commanding Game 3 shutout: Takeaways
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Saturday, taking back control of their Stanley Cup playoff second-round series behind an outstanding game from goalie Frederik Andersen and, finally, a flurry of offensive production.The Capitals, meanwhile, couldn’t sustain momentum after their best period of the series, and goaltender Logan Thompson wasn’t good enough to bail them out.AdvertisementAndersen saved all 21 shots he faced. Thompson made 24 saves on 28 shots.Here’s what I saw in Game 3.Svechnikov breaks throughAndrei Svechnikov had his share of chances in the first two-plus games; the crossbar he hit in the first period was his third of the series. All those near-misses were the first thing that came to mind when he opened the scoring off an offensive-zone faceoff win by Sebastian Aho.Svechnikov was asked the quantity-over-quality question ahead of Game 3, […]
Pulgar e Allan são substituídos com dores em jogo contra Bahia e viram preocupação no Flamengo
O Flamengo pode ter dois novos problemas para se preocupar, já que Allan e Erick Pulgar sentiram problemas na coxa e deixaram a partida contra o Bahia, pela 8ª rodada do Brasileirão, durante o primeiro tempo. A dupla de volantes precisou ser substituída por Luiz Araújo e Evertton Araújo, respectivamente, e será reavaliada pelo departamento médico do clube amanhã. Flamengo x Bahia: onde assistir ao vivo ao jogo do BrasileirãoTentativa de assalto, depoimento à polícia e homenagem por 100 jogos no Flamengo: Rossi vive 48 horas de emoções distintas A primeira substituição foi a de Allan, feita repentinamente aos 14 minutos de jogo. O volante pediu para sair ao sentir dores na coxa, e Filipe Luís precisou mandou Luiz aquecer rapidamente. O meia havia recebido a oportunidade como titular nesta noite no Maracanã por conta da suspensão de De La […]
Brett Baty cranks a three-run homer to bring Mets within striking distance of Cubs
Major League Baseball Video Details Brett Baty cranked a three-run homer that brought the New York Mets within striking distance of the Chicago Cubs. 2 MINS AGO・Major League Baseball・0:13
Be the first to leave a comment