"His dream was to play for Real Madrid" - Mo Salah's former trainer claims the Liverpool star wanted to ply his trade at the Los Blancos club
Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah's former trainer Jaime Pabon has revealed that the Egyptian wanted to play for Real Madrid.
Salah and Co. are set to take on Los Blancos in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 later tonight (15 March) at the Santiago Bernabeu. Jurgen Klopp's side lost the first leg at Anfield by a scoreline of 5-2.
Salah got on the scoresheet in the match and scored his 44th goal in the UEFA Champions League, becoming the highest-scoring African player in the competition alongside Didier Drogba.
Pabon has now revealed that Salah once told him that his dream was to play for the Madrid giants. He said (via Relevo):
"I told him that I had to sign for Barcelona and he told me no. That his dream was to play for Real Madrid."
🗣️ Jaime Pabón, Salah’s personal trainer at Roma:
“I used to tell him [Salah] to join Barça and he would say no and that his dream is to join Real Madrid.” @relevo https://t.co/uqGT0jE6k3
Salah, however, joined Liverpool in 2017 and has established himself as an Anfield legend since. He has scored 178 goals and has provided 78 assists in 292 matches for the Reds.
The Egyptian has won the UEFA Champions League, the Premier League and the domestic cup competitions for the Anfield club. Salah has been in fine form this season as well, scoring 22 and providing 11 assists in 38 matches across competitions.
What did Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp say ahead of the second leg against Real Madrid?
Liverpool have an uphill task against Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League tie. To recover from a three-goal deficit at the Santiago Bernabeu is a tough ask for any team.
While the Reds have done it against Barcelona previously, Los Blancos are a different beast in the Champions League. Speaking ahead of the match, Klopp told the media (via the Reds' official website):
"I am happy to be here and what I said after the game on the night, three weeks ago, Madrid with the result are through to the next round. But now we are three weeks later and know there is a game to play - and if there is only a one percent chance, I would like to give it a try."
The Round of 16 concludes...
What's happening tonight then? 🤔
#UCL https://t.co/MzuNGuJxXa
The Reds enter the clash against Los Blancos on the back of a 1-0 away defeat against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday (11 March).