Mohamed Salah has opened up about the players who shaped him, naming Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and Brazilian Ronaldo as his biggest early influences.
Speaking to Liverpool’s official YouTube channel, Salah reflected on watching them as a junior player, drawn less to trophies and more to how they carried themselves on the pitch.
Salah said:
I love the way Ronaldo [of Brazil] was playing, and Zidane and Totti. These guys, I always looked at them and they just enjoy the game.
Softfootball understands that his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo grew once Salah was established in Europe, and it centered on professionalism rather than style. Explaining what stood out most, he said:
The way he dedicated everything to football is insane, the way he looks after himself, you can see everything, his numbers.
One name stood out above the rest: Francesco Totti, whom Salah played alongside for two seasons at Roma. He said:
It was an incredible time, I just loved it, he was incredible to be fair, and his technique was insane.
For Salah, those two years in Rome clearly left more than just memories on the pitch, they shaped the standard he still measures himself against.
