Mohamed Salah has opened up on the moment his emotions came tumbling out in front of The Kop as they paid tribute to Diogo Jota.
Liverpool’s opening game of the season was always going to be a difficult experience for Arne Slot’s squad, with the death of Jota – who had been such an instrumental figure in helping the club win their 20th title – and his brother Andre Silva still so difficult to comprehend.
Salah wrapped up a 4-2 win over Bournemouth and he marked his goal by recreating Jota’s ‘Baby Shark’ celebration but the enduring moment of the evening was when he stood in front of Liverpool’s fans and could not hold back his tears.
In a candid interview with the acclaimed Men In Blazers Media Network, Salah revealed how everything took him by surprise. The Egyptian was a close friend of Jota and his Instagram post after the fatal accident was hugely poignant; the reaction at the final whistle was the catalyst for an outpouring.
‘It was quite tricky for me because I didn’t prepare myself for that,’ said Salah. ‘Usually I clap for the fans after the game to tell them, like, thank you for coming for the game. But then once I stood in front of the Kop, they were singing for Diogo.
‘Then my emotions came and in my mind (I was thinking about him). Then you just to handle it. But then you can see, many people in a Kop also are like showing their emotions or what they feel. So then you start to break down a little bit.’
There has been a change in Salah’s role within the squad at Anfield, in that he is now part of a leadership group and he is one of the elder statesman – the eight years he has spent have passed in a flash but his influence remains as strong as ever.
He will have particular role to play in helping the younger members of the group flourish and Salah made a point of speaking to Rio Ngumoha, the 17-year-old whose progress has created such a buzz, after his dramatic winning goal against Newcastle eights days ago.
Ngumoha became the youngest scorer in Liverpool’s history, producing the kind of moment that made you think about generational talents such as Michael Owen or Wayne Rooney, but Salah is determined to help him through this phase of his career.
‘He’s still so young,’ Salah explained to host Roger Bennett. ‘I told him after the game: “Just leave the social media alone”. OK, you can be happy about the goal with your family, with your friends. Enjoy the moment to the max because it’s like your first moments in football.
‘But don’t really get engaged and just get your appreciation from outside world because it’s always going to be fake. You’re going to always try to seek that – that feeling from outside if you just get the appreciation from outside.
‘So what future is waiting for him? It depends how he’s going to handle the situation. How are we going to work? I need to work hard and just stay humble because he’s very young. I told him that some players peak too early and they’re going to struggle after that.
‘I really wish him the best. He has a good group (here around him) and we always try to speak with him – and the manager (Arne Slot) also speaks to him, so he just need to stay humble and work and see how things go.’
There have been observations that Salah has not made a flying start to the campaign but it needs to be taken into account that Liverpool’s forward line is new and understandings between him, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike are still being formed. Aleksander Isak’s addition is another factor to consider.
‘So far I didn’t figure the connections out yet,’ said Salah. ‘Like with Darwin or Lucho or the guys they used to play in front or Diogo. I knew where to start with Diogo or Darwin. I know where to find them. I knew their game very well but with Hugo he’s still new.
‘Sometimes I need the ball in the field. Sometimes we need in the space. We try to figure that out, through the training sessions or like the videos. The manager shows us. So I will figure it out soon because also it’s going to help my game to grow as well.’
For the full interview with Mohamed Salah, visit Men In Blazers.
