Salah: “Play for Madrid or Barça? Who knows …”

Mohamed salah (Nagrig, 28 years old) lives a second youth being one of the most important players of the moment. The Egyptian wanted to talk to Diario AS, whose editor tested negative in the PCR test before traveling to England. The attacker thinks loud and clear on various current issues: his situation at Liverpool, the Spanish teams and many unknown anecdotes to date. With a contract until 2023, it does not guarantee its continuity and praises both the Madrid like to Barcelona: “They are top, who knows …”.

It is a pleasure to have you here for our first interview with you. I see him very well, how is he?

Thank you. I'm fine. Thanks for the invitation.

What a great game he played against Tottenham!

Yes! The game was good. It is always difficult to play against the Spurs, yes. In the end we won, that's the most important thing.

Do you think they are favorites to win the Premier League?

I think it is a bit early to say that, but yes, we are doing well just like other teams. I hope we have the best chance of winning it.

One of his rivals is Mourinho's Tottenham. What do you think of him?

I've worked with him before, he's a great coach. It has helped the players a lot to be where they are now. He has a very good vision of football and is a good coach. I'm sure they are doing a good job. Now they are second in the league, that's what I can say about them.

Do you think you could win the Golden Boot for the third time in the Premier League?

I do not know. I don't want to say that right now. Of course, I always try to score goals to help the team win. And I have a good chance of being the top scorer for the third time as he says. But the most important thing is to win a great trophy with the team.

What records does he have left to break?

I would like to break all the club records, that would be fine. But yeah, it's like I said, the team comes first before any record. But breaking records and winning matches, that's great too.

In addition to the Premier League, Liverpool are also in the Champions League and have qualified for the round of 16 where they will face Leipzig. How do you see it?

I think that in recent seasons we have done well in the Champions League and also in the Premier. We had a good chance of winning both. Last season we were unlucky here. We will fight for both this year.

What memories do you have of the Champions League that you won at Wanda?

It's a good memory, it was a second consecutive final. I was injured in the first, but in the second we won. It is an incredible feeling. It is one of the most important moments of my life.

Let's go with the other side of the coin. Was it hard to accept the loss to Atlético de Madrid last season? Is there a desire for revenge?

I don't think of matches in this way. That we have to play against them because they beat us last season … You have to go game by game, focus only on the next one. Of course, if we play against them again, that would be fine. If not, it's ok. If you want to win the tournament, you have to beat all the rivals. I'm sorry. We have to fight to win every game.

Do you think you got stronger when you lost against Real Madrid in that Champions League final where Sergio Ramos injured you?

I think that everything that happens to a player, like disappointment or something like that, makes you stronger in your career for the future. But this, that injury, is a closed issue for me, I don't think about it anymore.

Let's talk a bit about some of the Spanish clubs he's always linked to, like Real Madrid and Barcelona. I was wondering if he would rule out playing for them …

I think Madrid and Barcelona are two top clubs. Who knows what is going to happen in the future, but right now I am focused on winning the Premier League and the Champions League with Liverpool again.

How much longer do you see yourself playing for Liverpool?

(Laughs) That's a tough question, but right now I can say that everything is in the hands of the club. Of course I want to break records here and, I repeat, all the club records, but everything is in the hands of the club.

We have not mentioned it, but in the last Champions League game I was going to be captain and it was not like that in the end. How did you take it?

Honestly, I was very disappointed. I was hoping to be the captain, but it's a coach's decision. I accept it.

By the way, which player do you think will replace Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the future?

It's hard to tell someone. Now there are great players, but what they have done for football has been incredible. Yes, your name may be mentioned, but I think what they have done for football was great and there are some players who I think are doing well too.

Do you consider yourself one of the best players of the moment?

Yes absolutely. Yes. (Laughs) When I look back on my career I want to feel that I achieved something special, that I did something special. That's why I try to do my best in every game and every year for the club and also for myself.

Looking at your childhood and where you came from, did you ever hope to be a star like you are now?

Expect to be where I am now, no. It's hard to expect that so soon. I go step by step, like when I was in Egypt, I only trained to play in Europe. Then I went to Basel and said, no, I want to be in a bigger club. Basel is a good club, but I wanted to be in a bigger team. I always go step by step. When I went to Basel I wanted to be the best player in his history. And you take one step, then another. I think it was a difficult time, but it made me strong.

What is the most difficult thing in the life of a footballer?

You have to sacrifice many things and dedicate your whole life to football. That's one of the things you find. It's very hard because you sacrifice your life for football and also for me to change my mentality a bit and things in my head. This cost me time and energy. It was a bit difficult at first, but now you can handle the situation and try to cope with it.

Regarding the situation with the coronavirus, how do you see it for everyone?

I think it has been difficult for everyone since it started. But it's something we need to adapt to and something we need to live with until it's over, hopefully soon. But we must keep our distance. As famous people we have to live by example, we have to tell people to really follow the right path and follow what the doctors say because it is a difficult situation for everyone, but hopefully it will disappear soon.

Going back to your childhood in Egypt, many children are likely to want to become professional players. Have you always wanted to?

Yes, I wanted to become a footballer when I was young. I wanted it very much. Now people see that one of them, one of the Egyptians, has become famous, has reached that level. I think now everyone wants their son to be a footballer. But I always say that it is not just football. We have a lot of things that you can be good at, like being a doctor or whatever you want to be, you can also be on the higher level. But yes, when I was young that was my dream, I just wanted to be a footballer. And all over the world, all the children in Egypt and Africa love to play soccer.

If you weren't a footballer, what do you think you would be?

It's difficult, I played soccer when I was 10-11 years old. My whole life has been dedicated to being a footballer. I don't really know what I could do … It's so difficult, I didn't even think about it much. I went to the club, I came back and when I was 14 I went to Cairo, I came back. So my whole life was just this, I really don't know what else I could do.

What did Maradona's recent passing mean to you?

It's sad news for everyone, as you can see, the world was in shock and everyone was sad. He was an inspiration to most footballers, or maybe everyone. He did something special at Napoli and with the Argentine team. It's sad to hear that news and I just wish your family will feel better after a while. I really don't know what to say in this situation, but it's really sad news.

I'd like to ask you about the Euro. How do you see Spain?

I think Spain has a good team. They have the best players and they can win it again. It's been a while since they won it, but I think they have a good team and they have a lot of possibilities.

And regarding the African Cup of Nations, how about the Egyptian team? Do you think they are improving?

I think our national team, with our new coach, is fine. We almost qualified for the African Cup, which we haven't won for almost 10 years. Everyone is excited to win it again. We really want to win it for the people and for ourselves. Let's see, but I see that there is an improvement with the new coach and with the team as well. We are doing well, we have a good relationship with each other. Hopefully we can win it this time.

He is always very involved in social and educational issues in Egypt. What does it mean to you?

Education is the key to everything, I think. I think it could make you a better footballer and person in general. In my country, Egypt, I think I could change some things for the better.

Thank you very much for your time and for meeting with us. We will be happy to welcome you in Spain whenever you want.

Thanks a lot.