"That's why for me I wasn't too surprised" - Real Madrid star makes bold claims about Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah 

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has claimed he is not surprised by Mohamed Salah's excellent attacking numbers in Liverpool colors. Salah has cemented his legacy as one of the best-ever Premier League players since joining the Reds from AS Roma in 2017.

Salah has been one of Liverpool's most influential players in recent years as they have become an English and European powerhouse once again. The Merseyside giants secured the Egyptian's signature in a deal worth a reported £34.3 million which now looks like a bargain.

Rudiger, who spent two years alongside Salah at AS Roma, opened up on the forward's rise to stardom at Anfield. The Germany international insisted he is far from surprised with Salah's goalscoring numbers.

Rudiger has claimed that Salah was working on his end product at Roma and has taken his game to another level at Liverpool. The Real Madrid defender said, as quoted by Daveockop on Instagram:

“I’m really not surprised because we played two years together [at Roma]. In his second season you could see that this guy is on a different mission. He was more direct. In the first season, he was trying to do dribbling and stuff like this, beating men one-on-one. But in the second season, he was very direct. He just wanted goals and assists.”

“And obviously I didn’t know that he was thinking about Liverpool already, but one day he told me he was leaving to Liverpool. I remember that first season he had [scoring 44 goals]. I think he shocked the whole world. And so that’s why for me I wasn’t too surprised. And really, the crazy thing is that he got better and better every year,” Rudiger added.

Mohamed Salah has scored 217 goals and produced 94 assists in 358 games for Liverpool. He has been excellent this season too, having registered six goals and five assists in nine games across competitions.

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Pundit "shocked" at Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah's exclusion from the Ballon d'Or shortlist

Jason McAteer said he was "shocked" to see Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah not included in the Ballon d'Or shortlist. The Egypt international enjoyed a brilliant 2023-24 season for the Reds, scoring 25 times and providing 14 assists in 44 games.

Salah played a key role as the Merseyside giants chased a quadruple; although they had to settle for just the League Cup. Following the Reds' 2-0 win over Bologna in the Champions League in midweek, McAteer singled out Salah for praise and said (as quoted by TBR Football):

“He is one of the best in the world. I said it tonight, he’s not in the Ballon d’Or, he’s not been nominated. I’m shocked, my little boy was on the phone with me and he said ‘Mo Salah has not been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.’ I find that really surprising because he’s such a top player, isn’t he?”

Salah has entered the final year of his contract at Anfield, putting Arne Slot's side in a tight corner. He has been the subject of interest from clubs from Saudi Arabia in the past and could be on his way to the Middle East next summer.