Real Madrid forward Rodrygo said he "started laughing" when teammate Luka Modric made a brutal comment to Mohamed Salah after the 2022 Champions League final.
A second-half strike from Vinicius Jr sealed a record-extending 14th European Cup for Los Blancos as they came out 1-0 winners at the Stade de France.
Ahead of kick-off, a confident Salah said he had "a score to settle" with Madrid after he went off injured in the 2018 final – a moment that left him in tears.
But after such a prolific season at Liverpool, the Egyptian struggled throughout the game as Carlo Ancelotti's side secured another Champions League trophy.
He was understandably devastated at full-time and, according to Real Madrid's Rodrygo, he was approached by Luka Modric.
Speaking on the Podpah Podcast, Rodrygo gave an insight into the moment.
"When the game was over, the Real Madrid players made a runner," the Brazilian said.
"Liverpool were passing by, Salah was going through a little sad, head down. Modric looked at him and said, 'Thank you, Salah. Next time you try again.' And I started laughing."
Liverpool were arguably the favourites heading into the game, but Real managed to pull through after knocking out Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City on their way to the final.
Jurgen Klopp's side, who had played a huge amount of games coming into the game, were unsurprisingly fatigued coming into the contest.
Rodrygo, meanwhile, played a key role in the comebacks against Chelsea and City, scoring late on in both games to take them to extra time.
Salah after the full-time whistle. Image credit: Getty
Salah after the full-time whistle. Image credit: Getty
Speaking after the final whistle against Liverpool, Modric opened up on the win.
“In the first half, I think we defend too much,” the midfielder told CBS Sports. “We didn’t have too much of the ball. Liverpool were pressing high and they did well. But we stayed calm and didn’t panic.
“In the second half, we played much better and had more possession – and then we scored the goal.
“I think, from that disallowed goal, we started believing more and I think, for Liverpool, they panicked and they weren’t that comfortable anymore.”