Mohamed Salah may be drawing comparisons to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but Egypt team-mate Ahmed Elmohamady says Liverpool’s 43-goal forward still has much to prove.
A stunning debut campaign at Anfield for the 25-year-old has seen him placed in a talent bracket alongside global superstars at Barcelona and Real Madrid.
He is being tipped to break the Ballon d‘Or duopoly enjoyed by Messi and Ronaldo over the last decade, with his remarkable consistency in a record-breaking season drawing widespread praise.
Elmohamady is a big fan of his compatriot and is delighted to see him fulfilling his potential, but he has also warned that he must deliver over multiple years in order to be considered the world’s best.
The Aston Villa winger told reporters: “It’s only one season.
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“He’s been good at Roma. But for the level of Ronaldo and Messi, he has to do it for seven or eight years.”
For now, Elmohamady is looking for Salah to maintain his high standards through to the end of 2017-18.
Those efforts could end up helping Liverpool to Champions League glory, before attention then switches to World Cup matters and a return to football’s grandest showpiece for Egypt after 18 years.
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“It’s easy in training [against him], but in a game he turns into a different player,” Elmohamady added on Salah.
“He’s one of the best players in the world. I am happy for him. We are all happy for him
“Mo-Mo is a great lad. He has been excellent this season. He is doing really well with Liverpool.
“Hopefully he can continue in the same form and help us in the World Cup. We need him. He is going to play a big part in the team.
“He took the chance to leave Chelsea and go away from the Premier League to prove everyone wrong. And he did it at Fiorentina and Roma then came back to the Premier League and you see what he can do now.”
