Mo Salah's Liverpool team-mates show their true colours after Ousmane Dembele wins Ballon d'Or
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Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike and Ibrahima Konate congratulated Ousmane Dembele, despite the PSG star beating their club team-mate Mohamed Salah to the Ballon d'Or.
Last season, Liverpool fans were rallying behind their 'Egyptian King' in the hope of him winning football's most prestigious individual accolade.
Salah had an outstanding campaign for the Reds amidst speculation about his future.
He scored a remarkable 34 goals and provided 23 assists in all competitions, aiding Arne Slot in securing the Premier League title in his first season as manager.
However, Liverpool fell short outside of the Premier League, losing the Carabao Cup final and being eliminated from the Champions League by eventual winners PSG on penalties at Anfield.
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The lack of additional trophies ultimately hindered Salah's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or this year, with the winger finishing fourth behind PSG's Vitinha, Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and, of course, the winner Dembele.
Salah was absent from the ceremony in Paris, but his teammates Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk were present to witness the French winger claim his first Ballon d'Or.
While they might have felt solely sympathy for Salah, for Ekitike and Konate, it was a tricky situation.
Both players are familiar with Dembele from their international duties, whilst Ekitike briefly shared a dressing room with the newly-crowned Ballon d'Or champion during their time together at PSG.
Thus, the Liverpool pair were swift to offer their congratulations on Instagram following the announcement of the award, showing their true class.
Ekitike posted: "On top of the world.
Thank you Ousmane Dembele." Meanwhile, Konate added: "Congratulations, my brother."
One thing is certain - Salah is unlikely to bear any grudge against his two teammates for celebrating his Ballon d'Or rival's success.
Missing out this time will undoubtedly serve only to spur Salah on further in his quest to claim the prize before hanging up his boots.
Liverpool return to action on tonight when they welcome Southampton in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
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