The Egyptian was forced out of the 2018 Champions League final with a shoulder injury after a controversial challenge from his Spanish counterpart
Mohamed Salah has put his issues with centre-back Sergio Ramos in the past, at least publicly, as he prepares to face Real Madrid on April 6 in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The forward said he no longer thinks about his shoulder dislocation caused by a coming together with Ramos in the competition’s 2018 final, which forced him to watch Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat from the dressing room.
Instead of dwelling on what occurred in Kyiv, Salah has devoted himself to securing a better result against Real Madrid this time around.
What has been said?
“That game is in the past, so I don’t think about [what happened with Ramos],” Salah told Marca. “I’m thinking about the team. Everyone is focused on their team and everyone wants to win… that’s it.
“Let’s just say that I have special motivation to win the tie and go through to the semi-finals. What’s going to happen now isn’t going to change the result of the final in Kyiv. That’s in the past.
“I think we’re both strong. Both teams have won their last two games in the Champions League. Both teams are prepared. It’s a special competition and both teams are doing well in it.”
Bigger picture
The incident between Salah and Ramos will no doubt be talked up as one of the most intriguing sub-plots of the quarter-finals, regardless of how the players try to minimise it.
They remain central figures to their respective sides even as so much has happened in the interim – Liverpool have gone on to win the Champions League and Premier League and Real Madrid have won La Liga and several domestic cups since their 2018 meeting. Positionally, of course, they will be locked in a direct battle.
But the stakes entering the first leg of the quarter-final are far greater than the petty objective of gaining ground in a personal feud.
“I hope to be doing the same thing that I’ve been doing in recent years,” Salah said. “Winning trophies, scoring goals, helping my team win trophies… That’s the most important thing for me.”
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