Sadio Mane snubs Mohamed Salah as he names dream 5-a-side team including 3 ex-Liverpool teammates

Sadio Mane has snubbed former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah while naming his dream five-a-side. The Senegalese arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2016 and spent six fruitful seasons at the club.

When he left the Merseyside club in 2022 to join Bayern Munich, Mane had won the Premier League and the Champions League, among others. The 33-year-old was one of the pillars of the Reds' recent success, registering 120 goals and 46 assists from 269 games.

Mane moved to Al-Nassr in the summer of 2023, and currently plies his trade alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at the Saudi club.

The Senegalese forward recently sat down with Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand for a chat. Mane was asked to name his dream five-a-side team made up of players he has shared the pitch with.

The Al-Nassr man named Roberto Firmino as his No. 9, while also including Philippe Coutinho and Virgil van Dijk in his team. Mane shared the pitch with all three during his time at Liverpool.

The Senegalese also added national teammate Kalidou Koulibaly to the mix to form a "monstrous" backline. Cristiano Ronaldo, his current Al-Nassr teammate, completed the team.

Interestingly, despite forging a stellar partnership with Salah at Anfield, Mane did not include the Egyptian in his team.

How many times has Sadio Mane played alongside Mohamed Salah for Liverpool?

Sadio Mane shared the pitch 223 times with Mohamed Salah, all during their time together at Liverpool. They won 150 of those matches, losing just 34, and contributed 35 goals together.

Amid several reports of a frosty relationship between the two, tensions boiled over during a game against Burnley in 2019. While the Reds won the game 3-0, Mane's furious outburst at Salah after being substituted made headlines.

Firmino has since shed light on the duo's relationship in his book, Si Senor: My Liverpool Years, stating:

“They were never best friends; each kept himself to himself. It was rare to see the two of them talking and I'm not sure if that had to do with the Egypt-Senegal rivalry in African competitions. I truly don't know. But they also never stopped talking, never severed ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism. I never took sides. That's why they love me: I always passed the ball to both; my preference was for the team's victory."

Mohamed Salah has 250 goals and 116 assists from 417 games for Liverpool to date.

Edited by Deepungsu Pandit