Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has teased Mohamed Salah ahead of the Reds’ Champions League final showdown with Real Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp ’s men meet the Spanish giants at the Stade de France on Saturday aiming to lift their seventh European crown, whilst also denying Real of their 14th.
It is the first time that the two teams come together in a final since the 2018 meeting in Kyiv. The Spanish side ran-out 3-1 winners that day, with Liverpool losing star forward Mo Salah to a shoulder injury following a tangle with Sergio Ramos. The Liverpool man has twice expressed his desire for revenge in the build-up to the game.
Following Madrid’s turnaround against Manchester City in the semi-finals earlier this season, Salah wrote on Twitter : “We have a score to settle.”
He then followed that up with another quip after being named the FWA Footballer of the Year award. The forward wrote: “Yeah, I think it’s revenge time.”
Now, skipper Henderson has had his say on Salah’s plot for revenge with a teasing quip during the Reds’ pre-match press conference. He said: “He didn’t mean to say that, did you Mo?!”
Will Mohamed Salah score in the Champions League final against Real Madrid? Have your say in the comments below.
Henderson then followed that up with a slightly more serious take on Salah’s thoughts. He continued: “I can understand from Mo’s point of view, it was a very emotional time, it was very tough for him and tough for everyone.
"But for me, you don’t need any more motivation to win a Champions League final. It was all you dreamed of as a kid, to play big games and they don’t get any bigger than a Champions League final.”
Liverpool will certainly hope that they can call upon the talents of Salah for a larger portion of the game this time around following another stunning season at Anfield. The 29-year-old has scored 31 goals in all competitions so far this season, having claimed the Premier League golden boot alongside Tottenham forward Son Heung-Min.
Only one player has outscored Salah in the Real Madrid side, that being French forward Karim Benzema. He has netted an astounding 42 goals so far this term and has been in stunning form in the Champions League.
He has 15 goals to his name in the competition this season in just 11 appearances having netted hat-tricks against both Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea en route to the final. The Frenchman was also on the scoresheet the last time Real faced Liverpool in a final.
He infamously profited from a poor Loris Karius error to open the scoring for the Spanish side. Sadio Mane was on hand to equalise before Gareth Bale netted twice in the second period to secure the trophy.
