Mohamed Salah is expected to make his Liverpool return for the Champions League meeting with Marseille this week.
Salah fell out of favour with Arne Slot towards the back end of 2025, starting three Premier League games in a row on the bench.
It led to a bombshell interview from the Liverpool winger, who was subsequently dropped for the Champions League meeting with Inter Milan.
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Salah returned as a substitute against Brighton and Hove Albion before departing Anfield to compete at the 2026 AFCON.
In what may potentially end up being the 33-year-old’s final tournament, he lost out to a former Liverpool man.
Unpopular opinion: Peak Sadio Mane was better than peak Mohamed Salah…
People aren't ready for that discussion…
Sadio Mane pats the Champions League trophy after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in the final at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid (Credit: Getty Images/Jose Breton/NurPhoto).
Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring for Liverpool against Southampton in the Premier League at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Julian Finney).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Julian Finney
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Sadio Mane better than Mohamed Salah
Sadio Mane’s Senegal beat Egypt in the semi-final before going on to lift the trophy with a 1-0 win over Morocco.
Mane, who was sold to Bayern Munich in 2022, has now won the competition on two occasions, including beating Salah’s country in the 2021 showpiece.
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Now, it has been suggested that the former Liverpool winger is better than his ex-teammate and AFCON rival.
ESPN recently posted a TikTok video in which striker Nicolas Jackson was asked to name the greatest African player of all time.
There could be an argument that it is Salah, given how dominant he has been at Liverpool in recent years.
But Jackson picked his fellow countryman, simply saying “Mane, bro,” before walking away.
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How Mohamed Salah can cement himself as the GOAT
Given his age, it’s hard to see Salah having another chance to win the AFCON with his country.
But there remains a chance he could still go down as one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history.
Most, especially after his post-Leeds United interview, would probably name Steven Gerrard ahead of the winger on that front right now.
But as Jamie Carragher recently pointed out, Salah could fix Liverpool’s current issues when he is back this week.
If the forward stays at Anfield beyond 2026 and is able to help the Reds win another league title, or maybe even another European trophy, the recent unpleasantness should be forgotten and Salah’s status as the GOAT cemented.
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