It’s no secret that Mohamed Salah‘s biggest driving force in football right now is winning the Africa Cup of Nations.
Despite Egypt winning the tournament more times than any other nation, Salah has never had his hands on the trophy. The Pharaohs last claimed the title back in 2010, a year before Salah’s senior international debut.
Since then, the iconic winger has reached the final twice but the silverware continues to evade him. After all his success at club level with Liverpool, the AFCON title is what he now wants more than anything else.
“Nobody, even in Egypt, wants to win this trophy more than me. I have won almost every prize. This is the title I am waiting for,” the Pharaohs captain said after his side reached this year’s semi-finals.
But time is not on his side. Salah turns 34 this year and this could prove to be his final attempt at lifting the trophy and returning it to Cairo for the first time in over a decade. If that wasn’t pressure enough, Egypt’s next opponent is Senegal, where former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mané will be waiting to face him.
Mo Salah and Sadio Mané tensions at Liverpool
It’s also not a secret that despite their electric chemistry at Liverpool, Salah and Mané did not have the same relationship off the pitch. The duo — one of the most devastating winger link-ups the Premier League has seen — often did not see eye-to-eye.
Outside of the tremendous goals and assists tally between them, was ongoing speculation over a frosty relationship between Salah and Mané. The two remained professional but there were times when fans and the media picked up on frustrations bubbling between them.
Salah himself confirmed there were tensions between him and his former teammate while they were at Anfield together.
“Yes, there was tension with Sadio,” the Egyptian told L’Equipe. “Mind you, we were professional until the end, I don’t think it affected the team. It’s human to want more, I understand that, he’s a competitor. Off the pitch, we weren’t very close, but we always respected each other.”
Roberto Firmino also provided insight into the highly-speculated friction between his former teammates. The Brazilian admitted that during their time together, Liverpool’s ‘worst-kept secret’ was that he would be the man to be substituted off, rather than ‘upsetting’ either Salah or Mané.
This was discussed in Firmino’s book, Sí Señor: My Liverpool years. As the third part of the Reds’ clinical attack at the time, Liverpool’s ‘False Nine’ often saw more than most. The Brazilian also admitted Salah would ‘frustrate everyone’ when he opted not to pass to teammate and squander a goalscoring opportunity.
“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.
“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.”
Sadio Mané could shatter Mo Salah’s AFCON dream
Indeed, there was always the international rivalry between Salah and Mané, and we’re about to see it unfold once again.
Egypt and Senegal will battle it out for a chance to face either Nigeria or hosts Morocco in the AFCON final. The Pharaohs have beat Benin and reigning champions Ivory Coast so far in the knockout stages, while Senegal have seen off Sudan and Mali.
Salah has already been wounded by Mané at AFCON. In 2021, Senegal made history by winning their first ever AFCON title, a day Mané described as ‘the best of his life’, but it was heartbreak for his Liverpool teammate.
The nail-biting final ended 0-0 after extra time and required penalties to decide the winner. After Egypt missed two of their efforts, the deciding spot-kick fell to Mané, who etched his side in African history.
Salah felt the ache of another near miss, having also lost the 2017 final against Cameroon. As his domestic career grows all the more uncertain, with a Liverpool exit potentially on the cards this year, the Egyptian has a huge opportunity to take home the one medal he is desperate to add to his cabinet.
The Liverpool icons may not have played with each other for nearly four years, but the tensions and rivalry will re-emerge this week as though no time has passed. Salah will be feeling extra pressure this year, knowing he could once again hit a Mané-shaped stumbling block.