Liverpool: Sadio Mane opens up on pact of SILENCE he has with Mo Salah over the AFCON final

Sadio Mane has opened up on the pact of silence he shares with Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah following their dramatic meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Mane guided Senegal to their first ever AFCON title earlier this month when he scored the winning spot-kick in a tense penalty shootout against Salah’s Egypt.

The final left the Liverpool duo feeling hugely contrasting emotions, with Mane experiencing the highest of highs as he returned to England as an African champion, while Salah came home empty handed.

Sadio Mane’s (left) Senegal beat Mo Salah’s (right) Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations final

Mane (right) has opened up on the pact of silence he has with Salah (left) over the AFCON final

But when asked about Senegal and Egypt’s next meeting in a crucial World Cup qualifier next month, Mane revealed that he and Salah are not even thinking about it and they have a pact of silence when it comes to discussing the AFCON final.

‘Me and Mo Salah don’t even talk about it,’ Mane told the Que Golazo YouTube channel when asked about next month’s World Cup qualifier between Senegal and Egypt.

‘I think that I’m still thinking about my African Cup, but it’s also an important game that means a lot to me and my people.

‘If we can qualify – and we will do everything to do it – it’s very important for me, my team-mates and my country because it’s a really, really massive competition, which is a dream for any football player.

Mane says he will not speak about the final out of respect for his Liverpool team-mate

Mane (right) spoke about the Africa Cup of Nations triumph and his return to Liverpool

‘We will be well prepared for it and do everything possible to win because it’s really important.’

Mane went on to reveal that the pact of silence is out of respect for the Egyptian talisman, who experienced heartbreak in the final.

He continued: ‘Until now – you won’t believe me – but we haven’t talked about it, because I know he’s still disappointed for sure.’

However, not all things Africa Cup of Nations are completely off the table. Mane revealed he and Salah have laughed about their attempted mind games before his unsuccessful penalty in the first half of the final. 

Moments before the spot-kick was taken, Mane saw Salah having words with Egypt goalkeeper Gabaski and instructed the goalkeeper to get back on his line. Mane quickly joined the conversation and attempted to throw him off, telling him where he was going to put his spot-kick.

However the Liverpool duo have laughed about their mind-games before Mane’s first spot-kick

And while the final is still a bit raw for Salah, Mane says they have seen the funny side about his failed penalty kick. 

‘We have mentioned when I missed the penalty,’ Mane added. ‘He [Salah] said: “why did you come to see the goalkeeper?” and I said “no because you’ve been talking to him and I’m sure you will play mind-games, so I will play mind-games as well.”

‘I saw him talking and I’m sure he was not saying anything much so it was fine to just say it was mind-games and I want to be more fun than them, so I go “Mo, I will put it in the right side, tell him I will put it in the right side.”

‘We were talking about this yesterday and laughing about it, it was quite funny.’