Mohamed Salah has named Luciano Spalletti as the best coach he has worked with and not Jürgen Klopp, despite reaching his peak and winning major trophies under the German at Liverpool.
Speaking to France Football, the Egyptian star also discussed his toughest opponent, proudest moment, and the African players he rates most highly. But it was his choice of Spalletti that raised eyebrows among fans.
Salah worked with Klopp for seven years, winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, while also collecting several individual awards.
He has played for Al-Mokawloon, Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina, Roma, Liverpool and the Egypt national team, working with many top managers along the way, but it was Spalletti who earned his highest praise.
The two were together at Roma during the 2015–16 season.
He scored 28 goals and provided 20 assists in 62 games under Spalletti at Roma. Across his entire Serie A career with Fiorentina and Roma, he recorded 35 goals and 22 assists in 81 league appearances before moving to Liverpool in 2017. Spalletti later won Serie A with Napoli in 2023 and went on to manage Italy until June 2025.
When asked about the toughest defender he has faced, Salah said there are “too many” to choose from, but named Sergio Ramos as “one of the best.”
He called winning the Champions League in 2019 his proudest moment in football. On the greatest African players, Salah named George Weah, Didier Drogba, and Samuel Eto’o and said he considers himself among the continent’s greats.
He also revealed two of his dream players to play with: Steven Gerrard and Thierry Henry.
