Former England Star Compares Mo Salah To Lionel Messi
Liverpool earned their second successive clean sheet in as many Premier League games on Saturday, but it was Mo Salah who claimed the plaudits as The Reds defeated Burnley 2-0 at Anfield.
Speaking during the BT Sport coverage of the match, former Liverpool players Peter Crouch and Joe Cole were both in admiration of the 29-year-old Egyptian.
Salah – who scored and twice assisted away at Norwich on an opening day – claimed another assist at Anfield as strike partner Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota scored the goals to down Sean Dyche’s men.
Crouch, who himself scored 22 times during his time playing for the red half of Merseyside, was bold in his labelling of the Liverpool striker, who is now just two goals away from joining the former England international in the Premier League’s exclusive 100 clubs.
“(He is a) true Liverpool great. To get 100 goals in the same space of time as Henry they’re the types of players we’re talking about with Mo Salah.”
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The comparison to Messi, one of the best players in football history, is the ultimate for a player who has surprised many since his early days at Basel and Chelsea, with Crouch saying his variation across the front three is what sets him apart in the League.
“It’s an unbelievable record, he’s turned from a winger to become a ruthless goal-scoring machine. It has been unbelievable,”
Joe Cole, another player who had a spell at Liverpool, was also a pundit for yesterday’s live game and whilst he didn’t agree on Crouch’s comparison, he joined the ex-Tottenham striker with more compliments for Salah, he said: “Do you know what I love about him? He’s so direct, he gets at players, no one’s like Messi but there’s an element to his game his left foot. So well balanced. Wonderful player.”