Sadio Mane has shed light on his relationship with ex-Liverpool colleague Mohamed Salah, and how they mended their notorious on-pitch disagreement during a match against Burnley.
The Senegalese forward joined the Reds in 2016, a year prior to Salah. Alongside Roberto Firmino, they formed a formidable attacking trio, clinching every major trophy during their shared tenure at Anfield before Mane, speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, ended his Liverpool stint to sign for Bayern Munich during the summer of 2022.
However, it was during an early-season visit to Turf Moor in August 2019, where Liverpool emerged 3-0 victors over Burnley, that Mane and Salah notably clashed.
Mane, who had already netted a goal, showed clear frustration when Salah chose to go solo toward the goal and missed, instead of passing to his unmarked teammate. Substituted shortly after, an animated Mane gestured towards the bench as he exited the pitch, continuing to vent his frustration from the dugout.
A video clip of the Liverpool squad returning to the changing room post-match went viral, as Firmino was caught smirking to the camera while walking between Mane and Salah. The incident has frequently been cited as evidence that Mane and Salah were never truly compatible during their spell as Liverpool teammates.
However, Mane has dismissed any notion of animosity with his former colleague while speaking to Ferdinand, revealing what transpired between the duo after that confrontation at Turf Moor - and how he believes it actually strengthened their bond.
Mane sits on the bench after being substituted during the match between Burnley and Liverpool
Mane sits on the bench after being substituted during the match between Burnley and Liverpool (Image: Getty Images)
"Great player. Good player. Great player. Everybody say the same (that there was a rivalry), you know, usually," he said.
"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. 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. Sometimes like this... And I still remember one game when I was really, really angry because he didn't pass me, he should pass me. Burnley. You know before this, I watched that game, and I watched your face. Oh, it was amazing. That's why I was really, really angry after the game.
"And 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 against him because we didn't see each other, we go home. And the next day he came to me. He said, 'Can we talk?' I said, 'OK, no problem, we go.'
"And he 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 you and I saw you, I will do.'"
"And this, you know... I said, 'No, don't worry. It passed, it passed. I was angry because I think you could pass me more with your quality.'
"I think since this day, we become even closer. And sometimes it happen, but we just... as a striker, because Mo, 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, 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. You want… I can. Me, I'm here. I can help you because I don't have this problem. Me, I'll help you more.'"