Roberto Firmino revealed truth about Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane relationship at Liverpool

The once fabled Liverpool front three routinely showed their on-field chemistry, but behind the scenes relations were not always warm between Salah and Mane, something Firmino has acknowledged

Roberto Firmino has previously spoken about Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah's fractured relationship(Image: )

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will renew acquaintances when the pair meet in Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-final between Egypt and Senegal.

The pair once spearheaded Liverpool’s potent attacking threat during Jurgen Klopp’s heyday, with the wingers typically providing the majority of the team’s goals from the wide areas, either side of the more selfless Roberto Firmino in the center.

Salah and Mane, who shared a dressing room together for six years at Anfield and helped the club win every piece of silverware available, did have a somewhat fractured relationship during their time on Merseyside. That most memorably came to the fore during a Premier League win over Burnley in 2019, when Mane complained that Salah had failed to pass him the ball.

Firmino, the glue that held that devastating front three together, wrote about Salah and Mane’s difficult relationship in his autobiography, Si Señor.

“They were never best friends. The three of us had very different personalities, Mane the most explosive, my role [was] as peacemaker, unifier,” claimed the Brazilian. “It was rare to see the two of them talking. But they never severed ties, always acted with the utmost professionalism.”

Meanwhile, Salah addressed the issue in an interview with L’Equipe last year. “Yes, there was tension with Sadio,” the Egyptian said.

Mane and Salah did enjoy a brilliant relationship during their time at Liverpool(Image: )

“Mind you, we were professional until the end. I don't think it affected the team. It's human to want more. I understand that he's a competitor. Off the pitch, we weren't very close, but we always respected each other.”

However, Mane downplayed his disagreements with Salah when speaking to Rio Ferdinand in November.

“Great player. Good player. Great player. Everybody say the same [that there was a rivalry], you know, usually,” said the now Al-Nassr forward.

Salah and Mane met in the 2021 AFCON final(Image: Getty Images)

“But it's not… I don't think it's a bad thing. And me, I'm someone who is quiet, but I'm friendly with everybody in the team. I'm like this.

“So, I think Mo is also a very nice guy. He's a nice guy. I think, though, inside the pitch, you can see sometimes he passes [to] me, sometimes he doesn't pass [to] me. But, you know, only Bobby was there to share the ball.”

Salah and Mane also have shared history at AFCON, with the latter beating his then Liverpool teammate in the 2021 final.

The winner of the clash between Egypt and Senegal in Tangier on Wednesday will go on to face either Nigeria or hosts Morocco in Sunday’s final.