Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah has been informed he is a worse player than Kylian Mbappe and "doesn't impress" Africa Cup of Nations rival Vincent Aboubakar.
The Cameroon captain has upped the ante ahead of Thursday night's semi-final against Egypt by claiming Pharaohs skipper Salah "doesn't produce a lot of stuff in the game".
The Premier League superstar has scored 23 goals in 26 games for Liverpool this season as well as contributing nine assists.
Salah has also impressed at AFCON with two goals and one assist to help Egypt reach the semi-finals, where they will face off with host nation Cameroon.
Many view him as the world's best player but Aboubakar, the tournament's top scorer with six goals, was eager to play down Salah's threat while speaking ahead of the match.
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"He is having a great season in the Premier League, he is helping his country to advance in the competition. I wish him a lot of luck. May the best win," Aboubakar told French outlet RFI.
"He doesn’t impress me much. I say it clearly because I’m an honest person and I have my way of seeing things.
"If he impressed me, I would say so. But he doesn’t impress me much.
"He’s a good player, he scores a lot but he doesn’t produce a lot of stuff in the game."
Aboubakar did acknowledge Salah has scored at an eye-catching rate since he joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017.
But the 30-year-old, who plies his trade with Saudi club Al Nassr, insists Paris Saint-Germain phenomenon Mbappe is the superior talent.
"Of course, he’s doing good stuff in the Premier League because he’s been in a team that’s been there for years," Aboubakar added while discussing Salah. "He’s a good player but not at the level of some like Mbappe."
While Salah has 32 goals or assists this season, Mbappe has racked up 35 (19 goals, 16 assists) during another stellar campaign at the Parc des Princes.
The French World Cup winner is out of contract at the end of the season and his future continued to dominate headlines throughout the the January transfer window.
Mbappe has been linked with Liverpool in recent years but Real Madrid are viewed as his most-likely destination should he fail to agree a new deal with PSG.
At the end of last month, reports on the continent claimed the 23-year-old had agreed a five-year contract with Los Blancos worth a total of £200million.
This would make Mbappe the second-highest earner in world football behind Lionel Messi.
