“There are not many like him” – Dejan Lovren compares Premier League star with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has compared Mohamed Salah's approach to the game to the attitude displayed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Gifted as they are, both Messi and Ronaldo have reached unprecedented and sustained levels of success in the game due to their approach and discipline. Comparing Salah's devotion to Messi and Ronaldo's, Lovren said:
“You don’t know how much effort he’s putting into his body to be what he is. It’s not just like that that he’s scoring every year 25, 30 goals. He’s putting in really, really hard work."
He continued:
"Sometimes after training, I’m just sitting on the sofa enjoying, watching TV, and this guy he’s answering from his swimming pool and saying ‘yeah, let me finish my swimming session.’ Mo, you had just training in the morning! ‘Yeah, just let me do it.’"
Bringing in the two GOAT.s into the comparison, Lovren added:
"And then you say to yourself, players like him, like Ronaldo, like Messi, this is more than perfection, I don’t know. There are not many like him. Like Messi, like Ronaldo. He’s playing for the last five seasons and scoring every year 25, 30 goals. Come on guys, come on. He’s never injured. He's a winger, and he’s scoring more goals than Harry Kane.”
Lovren went on to add that Salah and him are good friends as well, which they developed during their time together at Anfield.
“We’re talking each month every time, at least twice a week we call each other,” Lovren admitted. “We’re really good friends. We tell each other some secrets, not about football. It’s really great to have a friend like that.”
Mohamed Salah continues to impress in sub-par season for Liverpool
In what has been a poor season for the Reds, Mohamed Salah has maintained his high standards in front of goal.
The Egyptian forward has racked up 30 goals and 14 assists in 49 games for Liverpool this season. The Reds, though, are fifth in the league, trailing fourth-placed Manchester United by a point, having played a game more.
Overall, he has 186 goals and 77 assists in 303 games for the Reds, winning the Premier League Golden Boot thrice in six seasons at Anfield. He has also helped the club win the Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Carabao Cup and the FA Cup during his stint at Liverpool.