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Mohamed Salah has snubbed Jurgen Klopp in a recent interview when asked to name his favorite coach from his career, opting not to select his long-time Liverpool boss.
The 33-year-old has played under some elite coaches, including Arne Slot, Rudi Garcia, Vincenzo Montella and Jose Mourinho. But, speaking to France Football, the organizers of the Ballon d’Or, Salah claimed his favorite manager from his career is Luciano Spalletti, whom he played under for a season and a half at Roma.
The Egyptian did flourish under Spalletti’s management, netting 15 goals and providing 13 Serie A assists in the 2016/17 season, a campaign which ultimately earned him a move to Liverpool.
Yet his decision to overlook Klopp will surprise some on Merseyside, especially given he spent seven years playing under the German at Anfield, and racked up 349 appearances in that period.
Salah played for Spalletti just 62 times, the third highest number of any club coach in his career, a tally only bettered by Klopp and Murat Yakin, his manager at Basel.
Despite their success at Anfield, Klopp and Salah weren’t particularly close. A report in the Daily Mail last year described their relationship as: “professional, mutually respectful and almost always cordial.”
The pair also had a high-profile argument on the touchline during a Premier League game against West Ham United in April 2024, when they were seen furiously exchanging words. Darwin Nunez had to act as a peace-keeper and ultimately separate the squabbling coach and player in what was one of Klopp’s final matches in charge of Liverpool.
But since leaving the club, Klopp and Salah have exchanged text messages and seem to be on better terms.
“It [the relationship] is fine,” Salah told Sky Sports in January. “We text from time to time, in the last three months we texted more than we texted in the last seven years, honestly.
“I'm not putting fire anywhere, I'm just saying in a nice way, we text every second game or something.
“He's fine, his family is fine, he texted me about my family and Christmas and stuff, so all good.”
Salah also reserved some kind words for Klopp before his final game as Liverpool boss last year.
"I always look at this situation as a human being,” said the winger. “He improved me as a player for sure and I helped him a lot as a manager for sure. We helped each other a lot and we gave everything to the club to win trophies; everyone can see that.
“But the thing I take from that as a human being, as a person, if I am in trouble I can speak to him and ask as a person.
“I think we will keep the communication for sure forever, for life. Because it is not just a relationship with work, we also take it outside and we are going to stay in contact forever.”
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