Manchester City Midfielder Rodri Names Lionel Messi & Liverpool's Mohamed Salah As Toughest Opponents To Face
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has showered praise on Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah, naming them as the toughest opponents he has faced in his career.
The defensive midfielder is currently sidelined with a serious knee injury, which he picked up in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League in September. It was expected to rule him out for the rest of the season, although he has admitted he is targeting a return before the end of the current campaign.
Pep Guardiola's team have felt the absence of the Ballon d'Or winner, losing four games in succession and falling five points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table.
Speaking in an interview earlier this week (posted by @Guardiolita on X), the 28-year-old has explained that the two players he finds it most difficult to come up against are Inter Miami's Messi and Liverpool's Salah, with Rodri saying that going to Anfield 'is like a knife, it's really tough'.
Reporter: which player do you not like to face? A player who can decide/change the game or dominates you in midfield?
— Guardiolita (@rodrisonfire_16) November 12, 2024
Rodri: I’d say Leo (Messi), and in the premier league Salah in his prime. Going to Anfield is like a knife, it’s really tough pic.twitter.com/mlqRkLpyiB
The quotes from Rodri are no doubt a result of the huge matches Manchester City have enjoyed with Liverpool through the years since he joined the club from Athletico Madrid in 2019.
Salah has excelled against the Reds' biggest rivals during that period, and it seems his performances have not gone unnoticed by this year's Ballon d'Or comparing him to the Argentine, the player many consider the best in the world over the last two decades.
Mature Liverpool Enthusiast. LFC Transfer Room contributor & writer since 2021.