Although Mohamed Salah of Liverpool has named Kevin de Bruyne as his ideal teammate, the Egyptian striker chose a surprising choice as the hardest defender he has ever faced.
Since moving to Merseyside from AS Roma in 2017, Salah has shown himself to be a terror for the Reds’ opponents in the Premier League and Europe.The 31-year-old has made 322 appearances for Liverpool and is just two goals shy of 200 goals. During his six-year tenure at Anfield, he has also contributed 83 assists.
Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Salah forged a strong alliance that helped Jurgen Klopp’s team end its Champions League and Premier League winning drought. With players like Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota attempting to create a similar connection with the Egyptian, Mane and Firmino have both moved on.
In an interview with Sky Sports, the attacker was questioned about his ideal teammate. He first suggested Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo before selecting a Premier League competitor.
“(Cristiano) Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?” Kevin De Bruyne, if I could choose one from the Premier League. I could say Messi, Ronaldo, or Kevin, and I’m confident he could find me anywhere. He has eyesight,” he remarked.
“I search for goals; I do not defend.” The team as a whole and him as a player are excellent, and I try to play my game without thinking about other people.”
With opponents like Raphael Varane and Ruben Dias, who has won the Champions League numerous times, Salah has been a pain in the side of many defences. But he chose his toughest opponents to be two unexpected full-backs.
A few, the 31-year-old continued. Despite playing on the right side in the end, I think Caesar Azpilicueta was a tough player.
“You can’t believe how amazing Ashley (Cole)’s game reading is—I played with her. He read the game; he’s really intelligent. I played against him in Basel, but I also played with him.
Despite not being the tallest, he was incredibly tough and could read the game. He’s an amazing man who has a well-defined career and excellent training.