Mo Salah's "selfish" Sadio Mane admission says it all about their relationship

25 January 2024 , 09:31

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Sadio Mane had to be calmed down by his team-mates after his angry outburst at Mohamed Salah back in 2019

For the rest of time, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will forever be viewed as Liverpool legends.

The pair were two parts of an iconic three-man attack also containing Roberto Firmino, with the trio inspiring the Reds to one of the most illustrious chapters in the club's modern history. The three of them helped Liverpool win a Premier League title and a Champions League as well as FA and Carabao Cups, with each talent popping up with vital goals.

Despite their shared incredible achievements, there have long been lingering question marks over whether Salah and Mane were the best of friends off the pitch. There was of course that infamous Mane meltdown away at Burnley, where the Senegal international let his anger get the better of him.

Back in September 2019, the ex-Southampton star lost his cool after Salah opted to have a shot on goal himself instead of passing to his team-mate who would have had an easy tap-in. Moments later, Mane was substituted by manager Jurgen Klopp and had to be calmed down by teammates.

Both Firmino and James Milner were spotted trying to defuse Mane's anger, though given this all unfolded in full view of the television cameras, the post-match discourse was centred almost entirely around the heated flashpoint.

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Salah himself addressed the bust-up, telling Egyptian broadcaster MBC Masr TV that there was no feud between the two forwards. "We are team-mates on the pitch and in the dressing room, we have a very professional relationship," he explained.

"We both give everything we have to help the team win. Maybe we’re competing to show who is the best, and this is normal in any team and a legitimate right for any player, but in the end, we serve the team."

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Mohamed Salah quashed any talk of him and Sadio Mane falling out

The Egypt international did go on to concede that both of them are guilty of showing "selfish" traits at times, but reiterated that the end goal was always whatever was best for the entire team. Salah added: "Sometimes we’re selfish in some plays, but no one puts their interest above the team.

"It’s not intentional, whether from me or him, perhaps there was some tension in a previous match and now everyone tries to associate everything with it."

Nowadays, the two are no longer team-mates. Salah remains Liverpool's talisman, but Mane was enticed by the bright lights of Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, though he lasted just one year in Germany before upping sticks to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Nassr, where he considers Cristiano Ronaldo a team-mate.

Josh O'Brien