Mohamed Salah might have simply responded diplomatically, as do the majority of soccer players.
He was unable to complete the task. Salah was asked whether he had a preference for which side he would face in the title match in suburban Paris just minutes after Liverpool reached the Champions League final three weeks ago.
Salah stretched his neck and swung his head from side to side, as though getting ready for a new game. "I'd like to take on Real Madrid."
Salah has not forgotten what transpired against Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final in Kyiv. It was a terrible moment when he tussled with Sergio Ramos in the first half and crashed heavily on the ground, dislocating his left shoulder. Ramos planned to pin Salah's right arm and roll him forward to the grass, a move that some equated to a wrestling move.
As Liverpool lost 3-1 without their most likely scorer, Salah grieved on the pitch and watched the rest of the game on TV in the locker room.
Ramos has left Real Madrid four years later, having just finished an injury-plagued debut season with Paris Saint-Germain.
That didn't stop Salah from tweeting "we have a score to settle" after Madrid joined Liverpool in Saturday's final by overcoming Manchester City in the semifinals with an incredible second-leg comeback.
Salah remarked in another interview of playing Madrid, "I think it's retribution time." The dude has a goal in mind.
Perhaps in a variety of ways. Given that he has yet to sign a new contract with Liverpool, it is not out of the realm of possibilities that this may be his final appearance for the club. Negotiations appear to have reached a stalemate. Salah's contract has one year left on it, and he is free to speak to other clubs in January.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has acted as though he is unconcerned with the situation, but he, like the club's fans, must be worried about a possible split. Salah has stated that money is not a concern, and that all he wants is to be appreciated for everything he has done for the club.
"At the moment, I'm not focused on the contract in my mind," she says "Salah stated this on Wednesday. "I'm not trying to be self-centred."
To future-proof its assault, Liverpool has recruited three strikers in the previous two years: Diogo Jota in August 2020, Luis Diaz in January, and long-term Fulham signing Fabio Carvalho last week.
Salah's colleagues Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are still with the club — in fact, Mane is having one of his best seasons at Liverpool — but his departure would be a huge blow to the club, especially given that Man City has boosted its forward line with the addition of Erling Haaland.
Salah just finished his third Premier League season as the league's top scorer, either outright or tied, in his five years at Liverpool, sharing the Golden Boot trophy with Tottenham striker Son Heung-min, who scored 23 goals. Salah was also the player with the most assists.
Many considered him to be the most in-form player in international soccer for the first half of the season, scoring 10 goals in his first nine games, including a hat trick against Manchester United and perhaps the goal of the season with that slaloming solo run and finish against City.
Salah hasn't been as prolific since returning from the African Cup of Nations in February, and Diaz has taken some of the limelight away from him, but he remains Liverpool's most likely match-winner — the player Klopp expects to score the most goals.
Salah, who has already been voted England's soccer writer of the year and is the favorite among British bookies to win the vote among his peers, has had a "insane season," according to Klopp.
This is the type of player Madrid will face on Saturday, and who the Spanish club may still be interested in signing despite missing out on PSG's Kylian Mbappe. Salah, on the other hand, is seeking retribution for what occurred in 2018, as seen by his latest words on the subject.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0