“Don’t think it’s controversial at all really it’s just a fact” - Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher responds to criticism he received for AFCON comments

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has responded to the criticism he has received for his comments about the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The former defender has been heavily criticized over the last week, following his discussion about the competition, which Mohamed Salah plays in for Egypt.

Salah has enjoyed a truly blistering run of form this season, leading to questions about the Egyptian ace being in the run-in for the Ballon d'Or this year. When speaking about the winger, Carragher argued that Salah playing for Egypt in AFCON posed a problem as it was not a "major tournament as such."

There has been a lot of backlash after the comment, leading to Jamie Carragher's response on social media. The former defender posted a lengthy comment that read (via National World):

“The point I was trying to make yesterday was that Mo Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Ballon d'Or. If Salah had an average season at Liverpool, but won the AFCON and was player of the tournament then I don’t think he would win the Ballon d’Or.

“I don’t think AFCON carries the weight of other tournaments. But if Mbappe had an average season at Real Madrid but won the World Cup or Euros, then he would still have a great opportunity. It’s not just about certain tournaments - [Andriy] Shevchenko and[Robert] Lewandowski were never going to win the World Cup or Euros to help their case for the prize."

The Liverpool defender continued:

“I don’t think it’s controversial at all really it’s just a fact. I know [Sadio] Mane came second a few years back after winning the tournament, but that alone wouldn’t have got him to that position. It was Liverpool being two games away from [winning the] quadruple that also played a big role.

“It’s not disrespectful if I feel the World Cup, Euros, Champions League are better tournaments. That's just my opinion when I watch them. Saying it wasn’t a major competition was clumsy but I think most people watching could understand the point I was trying to make."

He added:

“The face I pulled when Micah interjected was nothing to do with the merits of the tournament, I just knew as soon as he did what the reaction was going to be! I get a lot people didn’t like what I said and that’s fine.”

In the meantime, Mohamed Salah has scored 30 goals and provided 22 assists in just 39 appearances this season.

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Red Devils legend questions Liverpool icon Carragher's comments on AFCON

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has questioned Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher's comments about AFCON. While Carragher has argued that the tournament is not as good as the Euros or the Champions League, Rio Ferdinand has argued that this is "an ignorant thought process".

He said (via National World):

“That comment is representative of the majority of people out there, I think it’s an ignorant thought process. It should be respected more than it is. I understand what Jamie's saying but I don’t agree with it, that’s a majority view and it’s not right."

“What Jamie's saying, and he’s right, if Salah won AFCON, it would have no bearing on anyone’s voting on the Ballon d’Or and that’s wrong, that was one of the parts he was arguing about," he added.

Michael Owen is the only Liverpool player to have clinched the Ballon d'Or award, having led the Reds to win the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the UEFA Cup. Mohamed Salah could potentially be the second Reds player to win the coveted award.