Liverpool's Mo Salah played in the Champions League final with an injury his Egypt team doctor has confirmed.
The Reds were aiming for a cup treble in Paris but missed out on European glory as they were narrowly beaten by Real Madrid. Salah had his sights on a second Champions League triumph and revenge over the Spanish side, who were Liverpool's conquerers back in 2018.
Salah's determination is such that he played the full 90 minutes despite picking up an injury a fortnight earlier in the FA Cup final - a game in which he was forced off. The Reds won that contest on penalties at Wembley but Salah would only play 32 minutes in his side's final two Premier League outings.
Despite carrying an injury Salah was Liverpool's most potent attacking weapon but was continuously denied by Los Blancos goalkeeper Thiabaut Courtois. Egypt team doctor Mohamed Abou El Ela has shed some light on the 30-year-old's condition as he joined the national squad at less than 100 per cent. He told On Time Sports : "Salah's injury occurred during the FA Cup final in the adductor muscles, then he played against Wolves and in the Champions League final, and all of this in just 14 days.
"We read a statistic that he's the second highest player in terms of minutes played this season. We send and receive players with medical reports, and Liverpool's said that he had pain and should get an X-ray, there's not a 100% fit player, but there's the question of whether he can push himself and play without risk.
"The club thought that one game is enough and we chose the Guinea game because the second against Ethiopia would be hard for him to travel in a long flight. He couldn't play another game after three days."
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Salah finished his club season with two pieces of silverware - both domestic cups, which were won on penalties against Chelsea - but saw the Premier League and the Champions League elude him in agonising fashion.
The 30-year-old said following the European defeat: "I cannot express in words how much we wanted to bring that trophy back to Liverpool but in the end we couldn’t. I cannot thank the fans enough for your support. It has been a very long season but a part of me wishes the next one starts again tomorrow."
Salah played a total of 66 games during the 2021/22 season for club and country. 51 of those came for the Reds with 45 coming as a starter. The Egyptian claimed a third Golden Boot of his career, scoring 23 times in the Premier League.
