Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were memorably embroiled in a heated debate after an encounter at Turf Moor during their time at Liverpool, and Roberto Firmino knows the truth around their relationship
Roberto Firmino has previously lifted the lid on Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane’s arguments.(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool hero Roberto Firmino previously revealed how the lid really came off between Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. Senegalese star Mane recently claimed that the pair actually grew closer after their memorable explosive encounter at Burnley.
Mane arrived at Anfield from Southampton in 2016, with Salah following 12 months later from Roma. Together with Firmino, the duo created a devastating forward line that delivered both league and European silverware across five seasons. However, their partnership wasn’t without its difficulties, as an infamous row during a match at Burnley highlighted underlying tensions between two of Liverpool’s most lethal goalscorers.
In the early weeks of the 2019 campaign at Turf Moor, Mane had already found the net but was left fuming when Salah chose to shoot rather than square the ball to his colleague, who appeared better placed.
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The Senegalese forward was withdrawn by Jurgen Klopp moments after the missed chance, and his fury was evident as he headed towards the dugout. The discord spilled into the tunnel area, where Firmino positioned himself between the pair and flashed a knowing grin at the cameras – a moment that quickly became an internet sensation.
Speaking to Rio Ferdinand in a recent sit-down, Mane tackled suggestions of a broken relationship and provided insight into the confrontation. “I still remember one game when I was really, really angry because he didn’t pass me, he should pass to me,” Mane said.
Salah and Mane.(Image: Getty Images)
“Burnley. You know before this, I watched that game, and I watched your face. Oh, it was amazing. That’s why I was really, really angry after the game.
“And the next day he came to me. He wants to talk to me, but he doesn’t know when, how to say. He still thinks I’m angry against him because we didn’t see each other, we go home. And the next day he came to me. He said, ‘Can we talk?’
“I said, ‘OK, no problem, we go.’ And he said, ‘You think I didn’t want to pass you? But even when I got the ball, I was not thinking or even seeing you to pass. I just got the ball – I want to shoot. But I have nothing against you.’
“I think since this day we become even closer. And sometimes it happen, but we just… as a striker, because Mo, usually when you see the ball, you don’t see nobody. So for me, he didn’t do it personally. He just want to score, score, score.”
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However, one player who witnessed their bond firsthand throughout those five years – before Mane’s switch to Bayern Munich in summer 2022 – was Firmino. The Brazilian forward, frequently described as the linchpin of Liverpool’s front three during that era, reflected on his position and the Burnley incident in his 2023 autobiography.
“James Milner tried to calm him down, but Sadio remained furious, sitting fuming on the bench, gesturing repeatedly,” Firmino said in Si Senor: My Liverpool Years. “I knew those guys very well, maybe better than anyone.
“I saw first-hand the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the dissatisfaction when one was mad at the other. I could feel it. I was the link between them in our attacking play and the firefighter in those moments.
“For many, that disagreement between Sadio and Mo was the first; for some, the first and last. But I knew it had been brewing since the previous season, 2018/19. My instinct and my duty was to defuse the situation between them. Pour water on the fire – never petrol.
Salah, Mane and Firmino were a formidable front three(Image: PHIL NOBLE, POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“That day, at Burnley, the lid came off. As we climbed the stairs coming off the field, the mood was heavy; there was none of the joy there should have been at another victory.
“And there I was again, in the middle of the two. Behind Salah and ahead of Mane in the tunnel, a camera looking right at us. When I saw it, I couldn’t help smiling, making a face that said something like: ‘Did you see that?!’
“Their argument wasn’t funny. Potentially, it could have caused problems for us. But that ironic face I made was the face of someone who knew it wouldn’t lead to anything serious.
“They were never best friends; each kept himself to himself and I’m not sure if that had to do with the Egypt–Senegal rivalry in African competitions. But they never severed ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism.”