“Of course, he did cross the line” - Mikel reveals incident where Jose Mourinho made Mohamed Salah cry at Chelsea

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel shed light on former manager Jose Mourinho reducing Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah - then with the Blues - to tears.

Before his hugely successful stint with the Reds, the 33-year-old made his English football debut with the Blues, arriving from FC Basel in January 2014. However, the Egyptian struggled for game time under Mourinho, managing just two goals and three assists in 19 games across competitions.

Following loan spells at Fiorentina and AS Roma, Salah finally introduced himself to English football with a fabulous 2016-17 season with the Reds and hasn't looked back since then.

Mikel recalled the time when a Mourinho half-time team talk during a Premier League game against Norwich City in 2014 forced Salah to cry, and their relationship would never be the same again.

Nevertheless, heaping praise on the Portuguese, Mikel said on The Peter Crouch podcast that Mourinho's quest for success sometimes rub young players the wrong way (via Mirror):

"Fantastic guy, amazing. Not just (as) a coach, but a human being as well. He's someone you can speak to, someone you can connect with. But (he) obviously has his ways of trying to get the best out of players.

"Sometimes did he cross the line? Of course he did. Of course, he did cross the line sometimes, the way he spoke to players. Especially younger players. But it was just that era of him trying to get the best out of players."

Mourinho enjoyed a successful stint with Chelsea across two stints, winning three Premier League titles.

How has former Chelsea attacker Mohamed Salah fared for Liverpool?

Since arriving from AS Roma in the summer of 2017, Mohamed Salah has had a superb stint with Liverpool. In 401 games across competitions, he has registered 245 goals and 113 assists.

Salah won a fourth Premier League Golden Boot - scoring 29 times in 34 games - as Arne Slot's side won the league title, ending Manchester City's four-year stranglehold on the English top division.

The Egyptian also scored thrice in nine games in the UEFA Champions League, where the Reds lost to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in the Round of 16 following a 1-0 second-leg home defeat after extra time.

Only Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285) has scored more times for the Anfield side than Salah, whose forgettable stint at Chelsea is now in the rearview mirror.

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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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