Sadio Mane admits truth about Mohamed Salah relationship and what happened after Liverpool fight

Sadio Mane

Sadio Mane has opened up on his relationship with former Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah and revealed how the pair resolved their infamous on-field falling out during a clash with Burnley.

The Senegalese joined the Reds in the summer of 2016, a year before the Egyptian.

Forming a deadly attacking triumvirate along with Roberto Firmino, the trio went on to win every major honour during their shared time at Anfield before Mane, (who was appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, called time on his Liverpool career to join Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022.)

Firing the Reds to Champions League glory in 2019, they would also lift the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup and European Super Cup during the 2019/20 campaign.

But it was during an early-season trip to Turf Moor in August 2019, as Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners at Burnley, where Mane and Salah memorably clashed.

The Senegalese, who had already scored, was visibly frustrated when Salah went it alone on goal and failed to score rather than pass to his unmarked team-mate.

Withdrawn moments later, an animated Mane gestured to the bench as he made his way off the pitch before continuing to air his anger after taking his seat in the dugout.

A clip following the final whistle of the Liverpool team returning to the dressing room later went viral as Firmino was seen smirking to the camera as he walked in between Mane and Salah.

The altercation has repeatedly been used to suggest that Mane and Salah never saw eye-to-eye during their time as Reds team-mates.

But Mane has played down any suggestion of a feud with his former team-mate when appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, as he revealed what happened between the pair following that altercation at Turf Moor - and how he thinks it actually made them closer.

Mane

“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.

“And me, I'm someone who is quiet, but I'm friendly with everybody in the team. I'm like this.

“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.

“You don't see nobody. So for me, he didn't do it personally. He just want to score, score, score.

“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.”

While Mane might have come to blows with Salah during their time as Liverpool team-mates, his relationship with Firmino was rather different.

The 33-year-old would overlook the Egyptian but include the Brazilian, along with Virgil van Dijk, Philippe Coutinho, Kalidou Koulibaly and Cristiano Ronaldo when asked by Ferdinand to name his dream five-a-side team made up of former team-mates.

And he also opened up on just how highly he regards Firmino, admitting his fellow forward would never get angry if Salah or Mane did not pass him the ball.

“Oh, exceptional. Exceptional,”

“If I said exceptional, it's just exceptional. Because for me, since I grew up, I never see a football player and human kind in my life as Bobby. Never.

“I never see any teammate like Bobby in my life. And he’s the only player in my life I have put in my house.

“And Bobby Firmino, for me, it's not even… because what he’s able to do, I can't, even myself. And I never see any player doing it, because it's special.

“Even football. He can… he doesn’t… sometimes he doesn't care for nothing. I think it's also different people. It's natural like this.

“Because sometimes Salah can score, score, score; me, score, score. He doesn't score, change him. He doesn't care. Me, you do this, I will be angry. That’s for sure. Salah, you do… he will be angry.

“And this, sometimes we players, we are like this sometimes. Over… want it, you know? But Bobby, for me, sometimes I just look at him in life, I see what kind of person he is.

“And he never take anything… of course, I never see him angry with anybody. I never saw him angry.

“He's more… for me, obviously he's more than football. Everything… no, it’s life, it's not… no, he’s always like this.

So I never… that's why in our day, in football, how you know, me know, everybody, it's not easy. But Bobby, for me, he's more than a football player.”

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