2025 Football Writers' Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year, Mohamed Salah has admitted that there was “tension” between himself and Sadio Mane during the Senegalese stint at Liverpool.

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Amid the tension, 'the Egyptian King' noted that they, however, “always respected each other”.

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“Yes, there was tension with Sadio,” Salah said in an interview with France Football, via L’Equipe.

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Addressing rumours of his relationship with the Al-Nassr forward, Salah revealed that, they weren't very close, but they both delivered well to not affect the team.

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“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,” he added.

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He refuted rumours of being selfish on the pitch as far as Sadio was concerned, making reference to the record of his assists to the Senegalese forward.

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“People can think what they want, it’s their right,” Salah said. “But I invite everyone to note that the person who provided Mané with the most assists is me (18). We can look at the facts, but it’s obviously easier to throw out phrases like that; it makes the headlines, I know how it works.

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“As long as it remains within the limits of respect, that’s fine with me. But that doesn’t mean that this opinion is true. At the end of the day, I know what I did, and my conscience is clear.”

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Questions about their relationship surfaced after Mane got upset and reacted angrily, slamming Salah's decision to shoot instead of squaring the ball to him during Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Burnley in 2019.

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Shortly after Mane's display, he was substituted and was calmed by the other teammates and staff on the bench.

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Liverpool signed Sadio Mane in 2016, with Salah joining a year later. They often played on either wing until Mane's six-year stint, after which he left for Bayern Munich in 2022.Sadio scored 120 goals during his spell in Merseyside.

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The duo's pairing during Mane's stay at Liverpool was a major source of 'The Reds' goals , often appearing in a front three alongside Roberto Firmino. Salah scored 19 goals and assisted 10 when Liverpool won the Premier League in 2020, while Mane scored 18 and assisted seven.

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Also, the state of their relationship is partly blamed on the fact that they play for rival African nations. The most notable of their international clashes against one another came in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final, in which Mane’s Senegal triumphed 4-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw.

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In Salah said during the 2017-18 season he and Mane were “very close,” adding, “we’re friends, we talk a lot to each other.”

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