THE WORST MOMENT OF MY CAREER

Salah on the pain of THAT final and his hunger for REAL revenge

MO SALAH finds it hard to discuss the anguish he suffered when helped from the pitch just 30 minutes into the 2018 Champions League final.

There is a visible wince as he recalls the moment he knew his role in that Kyiv final against Real Madrid was over.

“I remember when I went off, it was the worst moment in my career,” he said.

“It was the worst thing to happen for a player. I was really down at that time. We had a good season and came to the Champions League final and then I went off.”

Salah went off with a shoulder injury after being fouled by Real defender Sergio Ramos.

The veteran Spaniard used all the dark arts learned over a lengthy career to put Salah out of the final and the Liverpool forward has made it clear he feels it was an intentional act. No wonder his first reaction when witnessing Madrid’s astonishing comeback against Manchester City in the semifinal was to tweet (below): “We have a score to settle.”

He subsequently doubled down on those comments after receiving the Footballer of the Year award, adding: “Yeah, it’s revenge time.”

Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson, who sat alongside Salah in the pre-champions League press conference at the Reds’ training ground on Tuesday, was in humorous mood as he teased his team-mate.

When asked about the Egyptian’s revenge mission, he turned to Salah with a smile and a chuckle:

“He didn’t mean to say that, did you Mo?” But

Henderson then added:

“I can understand it because from Mo’s point of view it was a very emotional time. It was very tough for him and tough for everyone.

“But, for me, you don’t need any more motivation to win a Champions League final. It was all you dreamed of as a kid, to play big games, and they don’t get any bigger than a Champions League final.”

Salah himself is more laidback about the prospect of taking on Madrid after overcoming an injury scare in the

FA Cup final to declare himself fit for Saturday’s game in Paris.

He will relish the prospect of facing the Spaniards again even if Ramos, now at Paris Saint-germain, will be a mere spectator for the final.

Salah, referring to Liverpool’s agonising Premier League title near-miss on Sunday, said: “I’m very motivated, motivated through the roof, especially after what happened last time and what happened on Sunday.

“Everybody is motivated to win the Champions League. We fight for this and everyone is excited.”

But Salah, who scored in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Spurs in the following season’s Champions League final – in, of all places, Madrid – could not resist one final word on the subject of revenge.

When asked who Liverpool’s match-winner could be on Saturday, he said simply:

“Hopefully me!”