‘Sometimes he passed to me, sometimes he doesn't pass to me. Only Bobby was there to share the ball’ Sadio Mane reveals Mohamed Salah flashpoint at Liverpool

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino will go down as one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever front threes.

Together, the trio conquered England, Europe and even the world, depending on your view on the Club World Cup’s previous format.

But around such quality and high tension, friendly bonds can be tested to breaking point.

Sadio Mane lifts lid on Burnley disagreement with Mohamed Salah

In particular, given they were both goalscoring wingers, Salah and Mane were often pitted against each other by fans and pundits, a rivalry Mane feels is healthy, albeit still a rivalry.

Back in 2019, during a 3-0 win against Burnley, it appeared Salah was put off passing to Mane, the suggestion being that the competition between the duo had influenced his decision-making, provoking an angry reaction from Mane at the time.

“He’s [Salah] a nice guy,” Mane said, appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.

“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.

Ferdinand immediately recognised the game Mane was referencing as the clash against the Clarets in 2019, and the winger expanded on his feelings.

“I was really, really angry after the game,” the 33-year-old, now playing for Al-Nassr, admitted. “The next day, he came to me.

“He [Salah] 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.’

That explanation proved to be enough for Mane, who believes the incident actually made the pair’s bond stronger.

“I think since this day, we become even closer,” the Senegal international revealed. “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.’”

Mane ended his Liverpool career with 120 goals and 46 assists in 269 games. There may have been the odd friction point in a winger combo as deadly as Mane and Salah, but it certainly didn’t halt production.

Listen to the full Rio Meets Sadio Mané interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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