Sadio Mané has shed light on his much-discussed partnership with Mohamed Salah at Liverpool, revealing that despite public perception, the pair shared deep mutual respect and a strong bond on and off the pitch.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, the Senegalese forward dismissed long-running narratives of rivalry between the two former teammates.
Great player. Good player. Great player,” Mané said of Salah, stressing that the competitive edge between them was never hostile. “I’m someone who is quiet, but I’m friendly with everybody in the team. Mo is also a very nice guy.
Mané recalled moments of tension, including the famous incident against Burnley when he reacted angrily after Salah failed to pass to him.
“I was really, really angry after the game,” he admitted. But the issue didn’t linger. The next day, Salah approached him to talk it through.
“He said, ‘You think I didn’t want to pass you? I just got the ball, I want to shoot. I have nothing against you.’ I said, ‘No, don’t worry. It passed, it passed.’ Since that day, we became even closer.”
Mané added that Salah’s single-minded focus in front of goal was never personal:
“As a striker, sometimes when Mo sees the ball, he doesn’t see anyone else. It’s not personal; he just wants to score.”
He revealed he often tried to help Salah reach top-scorer milestones, recognizing the Egyptian’s hunger for goals.
Mané left Liverpool in 2022, moving first to Bayern Munich before joining Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. Salah remains at Anfield and was instrumental in Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph last season.
