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Roberto Firmino has revealed there were underlying tensions between former Liverpool team-mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane during their time at the club.
Firmino, Salah and Mane built a reputation as one of the most prolific attacking trios that the Premier League has ever seen, as they thrived on the pitch for Liverpool.
Together, the trio helped Jurgen Klopp’s side lift a Premier League title, a Champions League title, an FA Cup, League Cup and plenty more.
However, as revealed by Firmino, that was far from the truth as the Brazilian admitted there were long-standing tensions between Mane and Salah that eventually boiled over.
Roberto Firmino (left) has revealed there were tensions between former Liverpool team-mates Mohamed Salah (middle) and Sadio Mane (right)
One infamous case of the two players clashing was during Liverpool’s trip to Burnley in 2019, when Mane stormed off in frustration after being substituted
Mane remonstrated with Salah after he failed to pass to him in the match against Burnley, which sparked the Senegalese forward’s angry reaction when he was substituted
Fans will remember the infamous bust-up between the two Liverpool forwards back in 2019 following their 3-0 victory over Burnley.
Mane was incensed with his team-mate back in August when Salah failed to square the ball to him when he was unmarked, instead trying to add a fourth goal to Liverpool’s tally on his own.
Mane was visibly frustrated when head coach Klopp removed him from play and painted an irate figure on the touch-line.
While both players later came out and insisted that their was no longer ongoing, Firmino reflected on the incident and revealed how the tensions were very much long-standing.
Speaking to The Guardian, Firmino said: ‘I saw first-hand the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the dissatisfaction when one was mad at the other. I could feel it. I was the link between them in our attacking play and the firefighter in those moments.
‘For many, that disagreement between Sadio and Mo was the first; for some, the first and last. But I knew it had been brewing since the previous season, 2018–19. My instinct and my duty was to defuse the situation between them.
‘Salah and Mané had had their little problems before, but that time everything happened on the field, there for the world to see. That day, at Burnley, the lid came off’.
After the game, Firmino could barely hold back his laugh as he passed cameras in the tunnel
Despite the underlying tensions off the pitch, Mane and Salah dominated Liverpool’s attack
Speaking on both Mane and Salah as individuals, Firmino continued: ‘Mané was more intense in both good and bad moments. He was the most explosive of the three of us.
‘I was always talking to him, giving advice, trying to calm him down. I would tell him to find peace, play for the team, and stay relaxed.
Meanwhile, when talking about Salah, Firmino said: ‘I don’t know if he was aware of it or not, but Salah used to frustrate everyone when he didn’t pass the ball.
‘Klopp addressed this issue in front of all of us. It was a clear hint aimed at Salah’.
Firmino’s awareness of the tension was made clear after Liverpool’s Instagram account posted a video of the players returning to the dressing room after the Burnley game.
In the clip, Firmino can be seen in-between Mane and Salah – who just been feuding – before the Brazilian glanced at the camera and offered a wry smile.
Together, the three forwards scored 427 goals for the Reds – with Salah still at the club
It was a clear indicator that the former Hoffenheim player was aware of the underlying tensions between both players.
Despite the clear issues that existed between the attackers, the three forwards played a vital role in Liverpool’s success over the last decade.
Firmino joined Liverpool in 2015 before Mane joined in 2016 and Salah moved a year after that, which sparked a long-running period of success for the Reds.
Between them, they managed to score a staggering 427 goals for Liverpool, as they triumphed both domestically and in Europe in recent years.
