"Every baller loves Messi", "Salah knows ball" - Fans react as Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah makes Lionel Messi claim

Fans have hailed Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah for naming Lionel Messi as his favorite Argentina player aside from Alexis Mac Allister.

Salah was joined by Mac Allister at Anfield last summer and the duo have flourished for the Reds. They've played a key role in Jurgen Klopp's side leading the Premier League title race with eight games remaining.

Mac Allister also plays with another world-beater in Messi at international level. They were part of Lionel Scaloni's side that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup which was the final piece missing from the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's glistening trophy cabinet.

ESPN Argentina asked Mohamed Salah to name one past or present Argentina player that he admires aside from his Liverpool teammate:

"My favorite Argentine player apart from Mac Allister? Messi. I love Messi. He is.. Messi is Messi, I love Messi."

The Reds' all-time Premier League top scorer also admires La Abiceleste icon Gabriel Batistuta but Messi is his favorite:

"I love Batistuta as well, I met him once in Argentina, got his t-shirt signed, but yeah I love Messi."

Lionel Messi, 36, is, for many, the greatest player to grace a football pitch, and his achievements speak for themselves. The Inter Miami superstar is Barcelona's all-time top scorer (672 goals in 778 games). The four-time UEFA Champions League winner is also his national team's all-time top scorer (106 in 108).

Fans have praised Salah for expressing how highly he rates the Argentina captain.

One fan dubbed the Liverpool attacker a 'baller':

"Every baller loves Messi."

Another fan echoed those sentiments:

"Salah knows ball."

Here's how other fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Salah's glowing verdict of Lionel Messi:

"Real recognizes real," one fan wrote.

"GOAT recognises GOAT," another fan insisted.

"Bro represents all of us," a fan posted.

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Lionel Messi named Liverpool's Mohamed Salah as the best African player in history

Mohamed Salah has lit up Premier League football.

Mohamed Salah has cemented himself as a Liverpool icon during his seven years at Anfield. He's bagged 208 goals and 89 assists in 339 games, winning eight major trophies including the Premier League and the Champions League.

The two-time African Footballer of the Year has also impressed at international level. Egypt's captain has earned 96 caps, scoring 54 goals and providing 32 wins, leading the Pharaohs to the African Cup of Nations final in 2022.

Lionel Messi waxed lyrical about Salah last year when asked to name the best African Player of all time (via FrankKhalidUK on X):

"I can say Mo Salah is the best. He is a special player."

That's high praise from Messi given the pool of African legends he had to choose from. He played alongside icons such as Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o and Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure at Camp Nou.