Saturday’s Champions League final in Kiev fast approaching, 2002 World Cup winner Rivaldo has become the latest to chime in on the excellent form and qualities of Mohamed Salah and has even advised the club with whom he is most commonly associated, La Liga giants Barcelona, to sign the Egyptian.
These developments were borne out of the legendary midfielder being asked which Premier League player he would take to Catalonia if possible. “Salah” the Brazilian confirmed without a moment’s hesitation. “He is a great player that unbalances games” he added.
The winner of the 1999 ballon D’or was also naturally questioned as to whether or not Salah has already reached the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the sole winners of football’s greatest individual prize from 2008 onwards and with whom the Liverpool forward has put on a season of comparable form by scoring 40 goals in this campaign while also finishing the Premier League as its top marksman.
“If he isn’t on the same level, then he’s close.” Rivaldo began “But he needs to maintain this level that they do and I’m cheering for him to pursue this over the next few seasons and for this one not to be something of just one season” he went on. “He’s very near [to the level of Messi and Ronaldo] but he needs to do what they have done for 10 years. He’s already encountered difficulties though, because the Premier League is harder than La Liga” it was concluded.
In the Ukrainian capital on Saturday evening, Salah has a rare chance to usurp Ronaldo on the world stage in securing Liverpool its second Champions League crown at the expense of Real Madrid, who hope to become the first team to win the competition three times on the trot. In his country’s World Cup opener against Uruguay on June 15th, the chance to impress Barcelona’s Luis Suarez is also set up for the former Chelsea and Roma man.
