Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino

Sadio Mané reflects on tense moment with Mohamed Salah

November 21, 2025 Oliver Obel

During an appearance on Rio Ferdinand Presents, Mané looked back on the years he and Salah spent driving Liverpool’s front line. Alongside Roberto Firmino, the pair formed one of Europe’s most dangerous trios, collecting a Champions League title and helping the club reclaim the Premier League trophy after a 30-year wait.

Mané noted that such success was built on an uncompromising competitive spirit that sometimes edged into tension. He described himself as quiet and steady-mannered, while saying Salah could alternate between selfless link-up play and moments of pure striker instinct.

“Sometimes he passes me, sometimes he doesn't pass me,” Mané told the podcast, joking that “only Bobby was there to share the ball.”

The Burnley exchange revisited

Supporters will remember the 2019 incident clearly: Mané’s frustration was visible as he left the pitch, with footage later revealing a missed passing opportunity moments earlier.

Instead of rehashing the sequence, Mané focused on what happened afterward. Watching the match back, he said, he still felt a flash of irritation — and the feeling carried into the next day until Salah approached him in training.

“He said, ‘You think I didn't want to pass you? … I was not thinking or even seeing you to pass. I just got the ball. I want to shoot,’” Mané recalled.

Mané told him the situation was already behind them, though he admitted he believed Salah “could pass me more with your quality.”

A relationship strengthened, not broken

The exchange, Mané said, proved to be a turning point. Strikers often operate on instinct, he explained, and he never interpreted the moment as personal.

“I know you want to be top scorer,” Mané remembered telling him. “Me, I’m here. I can help you because I don’t have this problem.”

Their chemistry helped fuel Liverpool’s title-winning campaign. According to season data cited by GIVEMESPORT, Mané contributed 18 goals and nine assists, while Salah recorded 19 goals and 10 assists.

Klopp’s view on the narrative

When similar questions resurfaced in 2022, Jürgen Klopp dismissed the suggestion of lingering tension. Speaking at a pre-match press conference, he said, “Sadio and Mo would consider themselves for sure as friends… It is nothing to do with any kind of rivalry with another player on your team.”

Klopp had managed both wingers from their early days at Anfield and frequently described them as model professionals. Their partnership — intense, productive, and occasionally spiky — became a defining feature of the team’s identity during his tenure.

A legacy beyond the flashpoints

Mané moved to Bayern Munich later in 2022, while Salah remained a central figure under Klopp until the manager’s departure in 2024. Their shared years reshaped Liverpool’s attacking standards, and the occasional disagreements, Mané suggested, were simply part of what made the group so driven.

Sources: Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, GIVEMESPORT, Jürgen Klopp 2022 press-conference.