Cesc Fabregas was briefly a teammate of one current Liverpool player and even he’s still blown away by his ‘very special talent’.
The 2010 World Cup winner sang the praises of Mo Salah on Planet Football, with the duo having played together at Chelsea in the 2014/15 season, with the Spaniard speaking in glowing terms about the ability of the Reds attacker to play in almost every match without the need for a rest.
The 36-year-old said: Planet Football: “I can’t really remember a game without seeing Salah in the starting XI, seriously. The last one I can remember was against Barcelona [at Anfield in 2019] when they had to do their miracle and they did.
“I was talking with a physio and a friend of mine. Even when Sadio [Mane] was there and [Bobby] Firmino were there. It felt like every single game of the season they [Mane, Firmino and Salah] were playing. I was like, ‘How is that even possible?’ There is the Carabao Cup they are in. The FA Cup, they are in.
“I just think they keep playing and playing and playing, which is unbelievable. It shows how fit they are. I am sure it show the methodology of training, it’s completely right for the way they want to play. I have always admired that about Mo.
“He’s a very special talent. I played with him at Chelsea for six months. He is a top guy as well. He has a good mentality. I am happy for him. He is a very, very hard worker. He believed in his talent, went away and found his way. Now he is showing everyone how good he is.”
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Liverpool are truly blessed to have Salah, not just because of his extraordinary goalscoring talents but also his incredible reliability when it comes to team selection.
In six-and-a-half seasons at Anfield, the 31-year-old has missed only 10 Premier League games out of the 248 that the Reds have played in that period (WhoScored), and some of these were due to his involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations.
That tournament will see the Egyptian’s perfect record of top-flight starts this term come to an end on Sunday for the trip to Bournemouth, but it’s still a remarkable testament to how commendably he looks after himself and how much he can be counted upon.
It’s not by accident that Salah has become Liverpool’s fifth-highest scorer of all time on 204 goals and counting (lfchistory.net) – his phenomenal dedication, work ethic and innate ability have all contributed towards him becoming one of this historic club’s greatest ever players.
Even having seen him up close at training and on matchdays, a World Cup winner in Fabregas still seems mindblown by the 31-year-old. Let’s hope there’s plenty more matches and goals to add to Mo’s collection by the time he eventually departs Anfield.
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