Sadio Mane has opened up on his relationship and rivalry with former teammate Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.
Mane and Salah were key parts of Liverpool’s success during the Jurgen Klopp era, with the duo forming part of a formidable frontline alongside Roberto Firmino.
Together, the trio helped Liverpool to a wealth of honours, including the 2019 Champions League and 2019/20 Premier League title.
Despite the on-field success, there was occasions when the relationship between Mane and Salah appeared strained. Mane memorably reacted furiously to Salah’s failure to pass him the ball in a 3-0 win at Burnley in August 2019. When the former was substituted moments later, he required the intervention of teammate James Milner to calm him down.
That heated moment was the flashpoint of a rivalry that Mane believes was healthy for the duo. Just months before that incident, the duo had shared the Premier League’s Golden Boot award.
“Great player. Good player. Great player. Everybody say the same (that there was a rivalry), you know, usually. But it’s not… I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Mane told the Rio Ferdinand presents podcast.
“So, I think Mo is also a very nice guy. He’s a nice guy. I think though, inside the pitch, you can see – sometimes he passes me, sometimes he doesn’t pass me; sometimes he passes me, sometimes he doesn’t pass me. But, you know, only Bobby was there to share the ball. Sometimes like this…
“And I still remember one game when I was really, really angry because he didn’t pass me, he should pass me. Burnley. You know before this, I watched that game, and I watched your face. Oh, it was amazing. That’s why I was really, really angry after the game. And the next day he came to me. He wants to talk to me, but he doesn’t know when, how to say.
“He still thinks I’m angry against him because we didn’t see each other, we go home. And the next day he came to me. He said, ‘Can we talk?’ I said, ‘OK, no problem, we go.’ And he said, ‘You think I didn’t want to pass you? I didn’t score. Bobby scored. But even when I got the ball, I was not thinking or even seeing you to pass. I just got the ball. I want to shoot. But I have nothing against you. And honestly, if I could pass you and I saw you, I will do.
And this, you know… I said, “No, don’t worry. It passed, it passed. I was angry because I think you could pass me more with your quality. I think since this day we become even closer. And sometimes it happen, but we just… as a striker, because Mo, usually when you see the ball, you don’t see nobody.”
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