Mohamed Salah has opened up on the players whom he drew inspiration from – Ronaldo and Francesco Totti among them – as the Liverpool frontman eyes a clean sweep of trophies
Mohamed Salah has name checked four former players whom he draws inspiration from – including ex-Roma team-mate Francesco Totti.
The Liverpool star has become one of the modern greats, owing largely to his exploits in the Premier League. He grew up in a generation that featured a number of players who will stand the test of time and admired a number of them.
Totti was among his inspirations and he eventually got the opportunity to play alongside the World Cup winner. The Italian was in his twilight years when he played with Salah at Roma.
Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo – the Brazilian icon – were both long retired by the time Salah came into the game. They each claimed the Ballon d’Or during their career, as did Cristiano Ronaldo. His goalscoring exploits served as inspiration to the Egyptian, who himself has been prolific in his career.
He told Liverpool’s official YouTube channel of the all-time greats that he admires most: “I love the way Ronaldo [of Brazil] was playing and [Zinedine] Zidane and [Francesco] Totti. These guys, I always looked at them and they just enjoy the game.
“Cristiano was also the one when I started playing in Europe more, you see the way he dedicated everything to football is insane, the way he looks after himself. You can see everything, his numbers.
“But these guys I looked at when I was young and I just wished to play one game with them, or to be like them one day. I had a good opportunity to play with Totti and I played with him for two years in Rome. It was an incredible time, I just loved it. He was incredible to be fair and his technique was insane. Very, very good person as well.”
Totti once claimed that Salah had become “a player that changes any game it at any time” after seeing him go to new heights when he swapped Roma for Liverpool in 2017.
Salah’s quality has been backed up by trophies with the forward a Premier League and Champions League winner at Anfield. He could now be into his final year with Liverpool and is eyeing every piece of silverware still on offer in what could be a glorious swansong.
He said on his ambitions at Anfield: “Win it all. In my opinion, I work so hard every day, I hate the idea that we are underdogs. No, we have an incredible group, one of the best in the world. In each position, you’re going to find players that are really one of the top three in the world. So, why don’t we win it? This city and this club has to always fight for everything.”
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