Mo Salah Seeking AFCON Revenge Against Liverpool Ace Who Was 'Never His Best Friend'

In a highly anticipated AFCON semi-final clash in Tangiers, Morocco, former Liverpool teammates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will face off as Egypt battles Senegal for a spot in the final. This marks their first meeting on opposing sides since Mane's Senegal defeated Salah's Egypt in the 2022 AFCON final and a subsequent World Cup playoff, both decided by penalties where Mane starred and Salah faltered.[1][2][4]

The duo, who formed a lethal front line with Roberto Firmino at Liverpool—winning the Champions League in 2019 and Premier League in 2020—shared a complex relationship on the pitch. Mane recently revealed on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast: "I think Mo is first of all a very nice guy. I think though inside the pitch, sometimes he would pass to me and sometimes he wouldn't."[2] Salah echoed past frustrations, recalling a game where he was "really, really angry because he doesn’t pass me the ball."[1]

Salah, now 33, is desperate for his first AFCON title, admitting, "Nobody, even in Egypt, wants to win this trophy more than me," after his decisive goal knocked out Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals.[1][4] Mane, 34 and already a champion, feels relieved of pressure: "The pressure for me is over. Before I won the African Cup, sometimes I played badly because of the pressure," he said, with one goal so far in the tournament.[1][2]

Senegal eyes a third final in four editions, while Egypt chases a record eighth title. Both veterans have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, but this showdown offers immediate continental glory—and potential revenge for Salah against his former teammate who was never his best friend.[1][2]

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