They were born in little villages, on the same continent, two months apart. They joined the same club, for almost the same fee, 12 months apart. They have gone on to inspire Liverpool to heights unimaginable when they arrived at Anfield.
As Sadio Mane and Mo Salah have transformed themselves from superhero sidekicks into temporary rivals, with Egypt trading blows with Senegal for a place at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, we juxtapose the 29-year-olds with trivia, stats, quotes and more.
Mane: El Hadji Diouf, Ronaldinho.
Salah: Ronaldo, Francesco Totti, Zinedine Zidane.
“I used to love El-Hadji Diouf and Ronaldinho, but especially Ronaldinho. He was… wow. The goals, the skills, the moves you had never seen before. I used to pretend I was him when I was young, but I couldn’t do the things he could. I still love him. He will be my hero forever.”
Mane
“I have always loved magicians. Those unique players who can do things others can’t. When I first got into football it was Zidane, the Brazilian Ronaldo and Totti. I used to love watching them and pretending I was them when I was out on the street with my friends.”
Salah
