Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has claimed that the Reds actually deserved to win the Champions League against Real Madrid last month.
Jurgen Klopp’s men eventually fell to a slender 1-0 defeat to the Spanish giants in Paris, Vinicius Jr’s strike enough to see Los Blancos secure the title - the 14th in their history. Meanwhile, it also prevented Liverpool from adding to the six European trophies that they have earned.
Whilst Real waltzed away with the trophy in the French capital, Liverpool actually had plenty of opportunities throughout the game, opposition goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois producing a string of highly-impressive saves.
With the dust now having settled on the match itself, Salah has claimed that the Reds were more deserving of the title and that the Real Madrid goalkeeper justified the considerable fee that they had paid to sign him from Chelsea in the summer of 2018.
Speaking with L’Equipe, the Egyptian said: “We deserved to win, we had more chances, I got two or three quite big ones but, each time, Thibaut Courtois made incredible saves.
“It’s his job, Real recruited him for that. He earned his Man of the Match award. It was his evening.”
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Whilst Salah aired his disappointment having not managed to win his second Champions League title as a Liverpool player, he has called on his teammate to draw inspiration from the defeat. He pointed to Liverpool’s success against Tottenham Hotspur in 2019 following their loss to Real Madrid a year earlier as reason to be optimistic of more success on the European front.
“Here again, I draw inspiration from the past,” Salah continued. “In 2018 we lost the Champions League final, already against Real Madrid and the following season we were European champions.
“That’s what I’m aiming for. We must always look ahead, not complain.”
Whilst Salah has set his sights on more Champions League glory with Liverpool, there is still some slight doubt over his immediate future at Anfield. The Egyptian is out of contract next summer and as of now there is no agreement over an extended stay at Anfield.
Meanwhile, attacking colleague Sadio Mane could soon exit the club. The Senegalese has already indicated his desire for a new challenge with also just a year remaining on his own deal.
German giants Bayern Munich have emerged as the most likely suitors for his services ahead of next season having had two bids rejected by Liverpool already. However, they are attempting to sell a number of their current squad in order to generate added funds, with Marc Roca the first to depart as he reportedly closes in on a switch to Liverpool’s Premier League rivals Leeds United.
