“He thought he was untouchable like Messi and Ronaldo,” a Liverpool legend rips into Mo Salah
The former Liverpool striker, now a pundit, did not mince his words about Mohamed Salah, who has been relegated to the bench for several matches. For Stan Collymore, the Egyptian was wrong to think he belonged to the caste of untouchable players.
Mohamed Salah @Le10Sport
Stan Collymore delivered a pointed critique of Mohamed Salah, arguing that the Liverpool forward has overestimated his status within the club. According to him, the Egyptian international “thought too highly of himself” by imagining he would receive the same preferential treatment as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
This remark comes after the much-discussed interview Salah gave following the spectacular 3-3 between Liverpool and Leeds United last weekend. Frustrated by his recent role as a substitute, the forward said he felt “betrayed” by a club for which he says he “sacrificed everything”.
For three matches, Arne Slot has chosen to start without him. Worse, in the last two matches, Salah wasn’t even called on to come on, a rare situation for a figure of his stature. Collymore, for his part, believes the Egyptian’s reaction lacks perspective : “If you ask 99.9% of players whether they’d accept spending two or three matches on the bench when they’re not at their best, they’ll all say yes », he wrote on X.
Before continuing: «The madness of modern football leads some to believe they are untouchable. Mo may have allowed himself to be convinced that he belonged in the same rank as a Messi or a Ronaldo, those players able to get away with anything because their aura dominated the last decade. » «Mo is not that kind of player, and Liverpool is not that kind of club », the former Red concludes.
A harsh assessment, which comes as Salah goes through one of his quietest spells: just five goals in nineteen appearances, an unusually low return for a player who for a long time carried Liverpool on his shoulders.