Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah ran into PSG defender Sergio Ramos at an awards ceremony in Dubai yesterday.
Ramos notoriously injured Salah during the Champions League final of 2018, where Liverpool lost to Real Madrid. Now, as per Dubai Sports Council on Twitter, the pair were forced into an awkward reunion ahead of the Globe Soccer awards last night.
To be fair, both players look quite genuinely relaxed at the sight of one another. “How are you?” asks Salah, as the Spain legend gives him a handshake and a hearty hug.
It was just a brief hello, but it was enough to suggest that Mo has put any ill-feeling towards Ramos to one side. Next, the Liverpool forward moved along to greet AC Milan’s evergreen Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who he gives an equally firm handshake.
You’re a bigger man than us, Mo.
Salah stays classy despite painful memories
It isn’t as though Salah and Ramos haven’t crossed paths since – they’ve attended various awards ceremonies together at this point.
But still, it must be a little reminder to Mo every time he sees Ramos of what he robbed from him.
There’s no telling of whether Liverpool would have won that ill-fated final of 2018 with Salah on the pitch. What is clear though, is that it snatched away the chance of Salah ending a quite amazing campaign with the ultimate glory.
After scoring 44 goals for the Reds in his debut season at Anfield, he deserved that chance.
More than that though, Ramos’ infamous judo move threw doubt on Salah’s participation at that summer’s World Cup. Mo played two of Egypt’s three games in the end, scoring two penalties. But he wasn’t fit, you could see it.
With another World Cup coming and going without Salah able to influence things, this is perhaps what sticks in his craw the most.
Ramos won’t care about that. He played in four World Cups and has a winner’s medal hanging up at home. Karma comes around though, and Salah may have allowed himself a wry smile at the PSG man missing out on the Spain squad this year.
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