Francesco Totti heaped praise on Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah and revealed he thought the 26-year-old made the right decision to leave AS Roma to join the Reds.
The former AS Roma forward shared that he felt sorry to see both Salah and Alisson leave Roma to join the Reds, but admitted that the Liverpool forward was right to join Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Totti shared that he thought Liverpool were one of the most important clubs in Europe and that a top player like Salah should be at a top club just like them.
“Sincerely I felt very sorry for every player who has left the team,” said Totti in a sit-down interview with beIN SPORTS’ website (18:34).
“Because when you stay with someone day after day, you can understand what kind of person he is.
“So this happened with Salah, Alisson and other players who left Roma, it’s normal in that moment ,you feel very sorry.
“But with Mo I had a particular relation, in fact every time he played and scored with me, he always told me he felt like a different player because he had fun playing with me.
“And he liked the way I put him in front of goal with my assists, he is an exceptional person and a true man who gave a lot to the club.
“But at the end unfortunately in life you have to make decisions and we have to respect his, I think he made the right decision to go to Liverpool because they are one of the most important clubs in Europe.
“They’ve won many trophies so a top player like him should play in at a top club like Liverpool, we’re still in touch by message and I’m very happy to say I met a great person and a great player.”
OPINION
Totti is one of the legends of the game and it says so much about Salah that the 42-year-old speaks so highly of him. Totti spent years at AS Roma and saw many players come and go, so to make such a memorable impression shows how truly special Salah is. It’s also very nice that the retired forward doesn’t just compliment Salah’s ability on the bench but highlights what an exceptional person he is off it. Salah will no doubt appreciate these comments and feel like he has a friend for life in Totti. It’s also worth noting that Liverpool fans will surely love Totti’s verdict on Salah’s decision to join as he gushes about the Reds’ status in world football. In another life, perhaps the world-class forward may have ended up making a similar decision if he ever felt he needed to leave Roma to try something new. Hopefully Salah, who has scored 21 goals this season, either hears these remarks or gets a text from Totti before the clash with Chelsea on Sunday, as it sure to give him extra motivation to prove just how good he is.
