Sadio Mane spoke on the infamous bust-up with Mohamed Salah during a match against Burnley, insisting the pair became closer after.
The Senegalese forward, who joined Liverpool in 2016 and spent six seasons at Anfield, addressed the long-standing rumors of tension between himself and Salah during an appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. The flashpoint; a 2019 trip to Burnley where Mane fumed on the bench after Salah ignored a clear pass and went toward the goal himself, only to miss.
But according to Mane, what looked like a meltdown was actually the beginning of an honest conversation between the pair.
“Great player. Good player. Great player. Everybody say the same [that there was a rivalry].” Mane began.
“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.”
He admitted Salah’s decision not to pass during that Burnley match sparked genuine frustration.
I still remember one game when I was really, really angry because he didn’t pass me, he should pass me [the ball]. That’s why I was really, really angry after the game.
But what followed behind the scenes was far from the cold war that the media tried to stir up. Mane revealed Salah approached him the next day.
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 [with] him because we didn’t see each other, we [went] home. And the next day he came to me. He said, ‘Can we talk?’ I said, ‘OK, no problem.’
Mane contined, “[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. And honestly, if I could pass and I saw you, I will.’”
I said, ‘No, don’t worry. It passed, it passed. I was angry because I think you could pass me more with your quality.’
According to Mane, the exchange had a lasting impact.
I think since this day, we become even closer. 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.
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. I’m here. I can help you because I don’t have this problem. Me, I’ll help you more.
Whatever brief tension may have existed on the surface, Mane insists it was never personal, and in the end, may have strengthened a partnership that delivered everything from a Champions League to a long-awaited Premier League title.