Former Barcelona man Samuel Eto'o takes credit for inspiring Mohamed Salah

What's the story?

Former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o believes that a pep talk that he once gave Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was the turning point in the Egyptian's career.

In case you didn't know...

Eto'o had rubbed shoulders with Salah during their time together at Chelsea in 2014. The duo played together for six months at the London club.

Salah joined Merseyside club Liverpool in 2017 where he proved himself to be one of the best players in Europe, having scored 44 goals in his debut season, earning him the Premier League Golden Boot last campaign and a Ballon d'Or nomination this year.

This season, the Egyptian ace has scored seven goals in sixteen appearances for the Anfield side so far.

The heart of the matter

Former Cameroon striker Eto'o has now recalled a pep talk that he once gave Mo Salah while the duo were at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking to Qatar's Al Kass Sports Channel (via Goal), Eto'o said, "I hope that Salah remembers the day we were together in Stamford Bridge dressing room after he'd had a poor performance."

"I asked him to be patient and told him ‘You are a good player and you will become a great player'."

"Salah has turned into that big player and will write his own story through persistence and strong desire."

The striker then added, "The whole thing depends on Salah himself, he has unbelievable skills and is currently performing at a top level that's allowing him to compete for Ballon d’Or."