Mohamed Salah has acknowledged that a shared ambition to be Liverpool’s top goal scorer caused some tension in his relationship with former teammate Sadio Mane.
Salah and Mane, along with Roberto Firmino, formed a formidable attacking trio under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. Despite their impressive goal-scoring records, they were often criticized for being selfish on the field.
In the 2018/19 season, Salah and Mane shared the Premier League’s Golden Boot award with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after both scoring 22 goals. Their desire to outshine each other sometimes led to uncomfortable moments between them.
“Yes, there was tension with Sadio,” Salah admitted in an interview with France Football. “But we remained professional and it didn’t affect the team. It’s natural to want to excel, and I respect Sadio’s competitive spirit. Although we weren’t close off the pitch, we always had mutual respect.”
Salah has previously acknowledged that he may have been “selfish” towards Mane at times, but he emphasized the significant number of assists he provided for Mane during their time together at Liverpool.
“People are entitled to their opinions, but the statistics speak for themselves. I assisted Mane the most, and my actions were always in the best interest of the team,” Salah stated.