Can Liverpool's Mo Salah finally get revenge on Real Madrid?

Alberto P. Sierra BÊTE NOIRE The Egyptian has unhappy memories of facing Madrid MO SALAH'S

[{"selector":"#anim-7da8a2f8-1b92-42fb-bd24-93f3e484bd1b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 195.30265%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3c9aca7d-f4fb-42e1-9da0-50b171d326f8 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.8928571428571429)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"forwards"}] Mo Salah has never beaten Real Madrid. Los Blancos have been the Egyptian’s bête noire, twice denying him the Champions League trophy.

[{"selector":"#anim-4d3c3c8e-3e65-41a3-b00d-fc3adc0bd8d0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 170.91239%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-806a9b15-b74e-4aa4-955a-f18399adf8e4 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0, 3.033980678341304e-7%, 0)","translate3d(0, 0%, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] This week, the Liverpool forward comes up against Madrid once more, in the first leg of the sides’ Champions League last-16 tie.

[{"selector":"#anim-4002c75e-928e-49ac-8b63-e51c7f47f043","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 170.91239%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2add2b0c-541a-48b7-b37c-74a014a579f6 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(9.080289607172984%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] Salah first faced Madrid while at Roma. He gave Marcelo a torrid time and had a titanic clash with Sergio Ramos - a player he’d be hearing from again…

[{"selector":"#anim-72f750f8-d2e3-4175-8755-ace9de36d675","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 171.72539%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-52f3d7fd-e4be-4383-bcc6-427a842f7c2f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.8264462809917356)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"forwards"}] Salah gave it everything he had, particularly in the return leg, but 2-0 defeats home and away sent Roma out of the 2015/16 Champions League.

[{"selector":"#anim-fc445710-35a1-4ac4-b1b2-aa6fdcd2ec95","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 170.91239%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ab1a2897-c736-40f3-b969-281d3914f6d7 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-17.9717229148148%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] In 2017, he joined Liverpool and was key to the Reds’ run to the 2017/18 UCL final. There, Madrid and the “worst moment” of his career were waiting.

[{"selector":"#anim-a039e8ce-11cb-4db5-bf5c-5aaf515d67ce","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 170.91239%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8a3eb87e-9cbc-4be9-9cda-0836ce744b1d [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-36.43562436605907%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":7000,"fill":"both"}] Having scored 44 goals that season, Salah was on fire - but his final ended after half an hour, when he injured his shoulder in a duel with Ramos.

[{"selector":"#anim-f1c425f2-d843-408e-b355-6dc6279c09c2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 137.40015%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-915c7b96-98dd-4ea3-a5d0-bafbe9eaab8f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(27.191740116062675%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"fill":"both"}] Karius’ gaffes put paid to the Reds’ hopes, and Madrid lifted the trophy amid controversy over a Ramos challenge that Jürgen Klopp described as “ruthless and brutal”.

[{"selector":"#anim-3b71ab0b-5982-45c5-8e2c-64194e581585","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 195.30265%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3d7f5d54-c8e2-4e51-bd63-28c915a8e62f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0, 3.033980678341304e-7%, 0)","translate3d(0, 0%, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] Liverpool won the European title the year after, but Salah still had a score to settle. In 2020/21, he got another crack at Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.

[{"selector":"#anim-df01898d-1ad8-4cdc-b204-60851a156215","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 170.91239%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-82a07212-7327-4731-a9bc-d6eb50382a6c [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.8130081300813008)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"forwards"}] He netted his first ever goal against Los Blancos in the opening leg, but couldn’t prevent Liverpool from bowing out of Europe - his third defeat to Madrid.

[{"selector":"#anim-f4431e5c-4017-4f05-ad4b-693ed60340a1","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 195.30265%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-de00e72f-1f1b-4104-94d9-7c9ac34209d9 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.9009009009009009)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"forwards"}] And his latest let-down against Real Madrid came in 2022. Having reached the UCL final, Salah spoke of his desire to take revenge on the Spaniards.

[{"selector":"#anim-cb199d1a-dcf2-460d-a0c2-235230601c06","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 170.91239%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal responded to the 30-year-old: “I hope it won’t weigh on him too heavily to lose another final against us.”

[{"selector":"#anim-9b176061-f2b0-4938-8559-8d6241d958c0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 195.30265%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1d0cc894-24a4-4e6a-bc81-f1e0151012f9 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(23.806817719480918%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] Sergio Ramos was no longer there, but Salah recalled Kyiv: “It was the worst moment in my career. I was really, really down in that time.”

[{"selector":"#anim-46b0f292-047c-4d54-b89b-d748cb9851d5","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 137.40015%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2c853d8e-fbd2-4ec0-beb9-4d4eadb2f315 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(5.371524442347073%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"fill":"both"}] Having just missed out on the Africa Cup of Nations and Premier League titles, the pressure was on for Salah in Paris - but he came up against an inspired Thibaut Courtois.

[{"selector":"#anim-0fc2bb56-66fd-440d-a19e-cddc11a52aa2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 170.91239%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-01615780-ea9f-412f-bf38-d1bc75f53307 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-3.4217008202377657%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] Salah had nine shots, but could’t find a way through as the Belgian put in a legendary final display. Once again, the forward lost out to Real Madrid.

[{"selector":"#anim-d4cd3092-0f40-442d-b8e5-a45af1094d57","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.53844%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e03be534-8741-4a38-9ce7-89912ded1455 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0, -12.220021306691892%, 0)","translate3d(0, 0%, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] Will Mo Salah finally manage to get the better of the 14-time European champions in this season’s last 16?