Mohamed Salah’s time at Liverpool is drawing to a close, and long-time rival and friend Eden Hazard has given his thoughts on the Egyptian’s form.
Some of the best years of the Premier League saw Salah and Hazard go toe-to-toe as two of the best in the division. Hazard was always seen as the magical, talented footballer, but over time, Salah’s numbers and consistency became impossible to argue with.
The Belgian has been out of the picture for years now after a failed move to Real Madrid, but he has been keeping a close eye on a player he considers one of his best friends in football. He commented on Salah’s decline this season.
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Eden Hazard shares his honest thoughts on Mohamed Salah
Despite being pitted against each other during their prime years, the two have remained close.
Hazard was speaking on Canal+ about the Liverpool star’s final season at Anfield, and he was honest in his assessment.
He said: “I think it’s a normal decline in football. I think when you reach a certain age, you’re a bit less strong and a bit less good physically as well. I don’t think it’s just Salah’s decline—it’s also that Liverpool are not as strong this year.
“But at the same time, they’ve set the bar so high that it’s difficult to keep it up consistently and keep scoring goals. So I was happy to see him score this weekend, because we’ve always had a good relationship — we played together, of course. We’ve also played a lot against each other and have often been compared as well.
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“But he’s a great guy, and I hope he will score many more goals. Still, you can see his decline.”
He’s not meaning to be disrespectful of the Egyptian’s stature in the game. Salah considers Hazard his best friend in football. He is just acknowledging what we have all seen this season — he’s getting old.
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Mohamed Salah of Liverpool looks on during the Premier League match between Brentford and Liverpool at Gtech Community Stadium
Credit: Liverpool FC/Getty Images
Salah’s farewell tour at Liverpool has gotten off to a good start with a goal against Fulham at the weekend. As much as his levels have dropped, he can still make an impact between now and the end of the season.
That’s the hope Hazard has for the Liverpool legend.
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