Roberto Firmino, the forward for Al-Ahli, has discussed the well-known conflict between Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
According to the Brazilian, this disagreement was the worst-kept secret within the Liverpool team.
Firmino had the opportunity to play alongside both Salah and Mane during their time together at Anfield, where they achieved great success by winning the Champions League and Premier League titles.
Despite forming one of the most lethal attacking trios in the world of football, they did not always have harmonious relations.
In a notable incident in 2019, Mane was visibly frustrated on the bench after Salah chose not to pass the ball to him for an easy scoring opportunity.
In his new book ‘Si Senor: My Liverpool Years’, Firmino wrote: “I knew those guys very well, maybe better than anyone. It was me out there on the field, right in the middle of them.
“I saw first-hand the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the dissatisfaction when one was mad at the other. I could feel it.
“I was the link between them in our attacking play and the firefighter in those moments.”
Firmino added: “They were never best friends; each kept himself to himself.
“It was rare to see the two of them talking and I’m not sure if that had to do with the Egypt-Senegal rivalry in African competitions. I truly don’t know.
“But they also never stopped talking, never severed ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism. I never took sides. That’s why they love me: I always passed the ball to both; my preference was for the team’s victory.
“Everyone, including the other players, knew that’s how it worked. It was the worst-kept secret in Liverpool – naturally, no one ever asked what I thought or how I felt. That’s just my nature; the team comes first. The boss knew it.”
