Football: 5 players who are fan favourites but hated by rival fanbases

#4 Mohamed Salah

Liverpool's talisman Mohamed Salah

I don’t think there are many nicer guys in football than Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian king doesn’t have a bad bone in his body and all football fans can see that. However, star players, regardless of how nice they are, will always be despised by rival fans. Today, Mohammed Salah is Liverpool’s talisman and can be pinpointed as the catalyst for the Reds’ recent successes. Since arriving at Merseyside, the 27-year-old has scored a whopping 70 goals in 101 games, whilst adding 24 assists in the process.

The Merseyside derby is one of the longest-running derbies in England’s top flight, first played in 1962. The rivalry was initially friendly with the two clubs using the opportunity to poke fun at the Manchester clubs instead. However, since the inception of the Premier League, no match has had more red cards.

Such is the intensity of this rivalry, a nice guy like Mohamed Salah is now despised in the blue half of Merseyside just for the sole fact that he plays at Anfield.