Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has reflected on his relationship with Mohamed Salah. He called him a 'nice guy' and remembered their on-field clash in 2019.
Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah's cold relationship
Mane joined Liverpool from Southampton in 2016, while Salah came from AS Roma in 2017. They partnered with Roberto Firmino and forged a spectacular trio for Liverpool. However, there were rumors that Mane and Salah did not gel well together at Liverpool.
In an interview with Rio Ferdinand on his official YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, the Al-Nassr player opened up on their bond and said:
"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. 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…"
In 2019, Liverpool defeated Burnley 3-0. Mane had already scored before Salah missed a chance instead of passing it to the Senegalese forward. Mane made some angry gestures while getting subbed off, and they also clashed a bit after the full-time whistle.
Remembering that game, Mane told Ferdinand:
“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."
Mane finally concluded:
“And then I was talking, I think, 'Mo, I can see you want to be more… I can help you a lot because I know you want to be top scorer. You want… I can. Me, I'm here. I can help you because I don't have this problem. Me, I'll help you more.'"
Mane and Salah shared the pitch 223 times while playing for Liverpool, combining 35 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a role model, says Sadio Mane
Former Liverpool player Sadio Mane has picked Cristiano Ronaldo as the perfect role model for all footballers. He thinks that the passion at the age of 40 is exceptional and said:
"Cristiano is a role model for every football player in the world. This is Cristiano, with his mentality, his passion for winning, and his high level of professionalism. I have never seen a player like him before."
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in 2022, with Sadio Mane moving to the Saudi Pro League club in 2023, after one season with Bayern Munich.