In an interview with Marca, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah spoke about several topics ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League fixture with Real Madrid.
Is there a special motivation to face Sergio Ramos again?
[Laughs] That game is in the past, so I don’t think about it. I’m thinking about the team. Everyone is focused on their team and everyone wants to win… that’s it.
What has changed at Liverpool since the 2018 final?
Since then, we’ve won the Premier League and the Champions League. We’re winners. That’s a big change.
That Real Madrid team had Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Keylor Navas… is this season’s team worse than that one?
It’s different. They’ve lost some great players, like Cristiano Ronaldo – the best in the club’s history, someone that scored so many goals. At the same time, they’ve signed [Eden] Hazard. Eden’s been unlucky, he’s been injured… But it’s a different team.
This team is in the quarter finals, it has great players, although they’ve lost Ronaldo’s goals… I can’t say which is better. All I can say is that they’re in the quarters now, that I’m sure they’re prepared and… that we have to be ready to face them.
What about Real Madrid worries you?
That they can win the Champions League. They do very well in this competition – they’ve won it many times, they’ve won four in the last 10 seasons. They’re a team that really likes the Champions League.
Which Real Madrid player do you like?
I can’t pick one… the majority of them are great players. Hazard. I have a great relationship with him, he did very well at Chelsea, but he’s not getting any luck at the moment. Luka [Modric]. I also get on really well with him. We’ve met each other a few times. I can’t pick one because they’re top players and it’s a top club.
On Zinedine Zidane
He’s a great coach. He’s won three Champions Leagues. He’s doing a very good job with the team. He left and he came back to help the team win trophies again. He was one of my idols when I was little. He’s doing great as a coach.
Do you see yourself at another club after four years at Liverpool? Is it time to move on?
It’s not up to me. We’ll see what happens but I prefer not to talk about that now.
You’ve played in England and Italy. Are you keen play in Spain?
I hope to be able to play for many more years. Why not? No one knows what’s going to happen in the future, so… maybe one day, yes.
