Dubai: Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman says the May 26 Champions League final between both his old sides will be decided by whichever star player shows up on the day between Mohammad Salah or Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Liverpool are in better form and playing better football and are more exciting to watch,” said McManaman, who was in Dubai on Sunday for an LFC World fan experience at Barasti. “… but Real have an incredible amount of experience having won it twice in a row.
“They have been to finals and won no matter how well they’ve played and that’s a fantastic trait to have.
“They also have Ronaldo who is averaging more than one goal a game in his Real career, which is astonishing.
“I think it will be about the bigger players on the day, will Ronaldo show up or Salah? Who is going to outrun the other? It’s all about how you deal with it and how, if anything, you forget about it and try to get on with it as a normal game, and I know that’s easy to say,” added the 46-year-old who won two Champions League titles with Real in 2000 and 2002, after joining from Liverpool in 1999.
“Everybody has been surprised that Mo Salah came in and scored so many goals, I think everyone was excited that he joined and knew he was a good signing, but I don’t think anybody expected him to be as successful as he has been,” McManaman said of Liverpool’s 43 goal in 50 game scorer.
Asked to comment on Salah being linked to Real, he replied: “I think he’s good enough, but he’s only been at Liverpool nine months and still has to reproduce the form he has shown this year. He has to do it year after year and I don’t see him playing for Real any time soon.”
Ronaldo got injured against Barcelona in El Clasico but McManaman said there was no fear of the Portuguese missing the final.
“Of course if he doesn’t play it’s an advantage to Liverpool but speaking to people in Madrid, he’s going to be fit and well for the final don’t worry about that.”
He also said that if Gareth Bale didn’t feature in the final it might prompt a summer move for the Welshman, who like McManaman is one of few Brits to have won the Champions League with Real.
“If he doesn’t play the final that might trigger something,” he said. “All the talk is that he’s very happy there but of course he never started against Juve, and didn’t start against Bayern, so it could almost be on whether he plays the final.”
