Former Nigerian footballer Mikel Obi has chastised ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher over his incessant criticisms of Mohamed Salah.
Carragher, in his critique of Salah, saying the club “had thrown him under the bus” argued that the winger has not done enough for Egypt despite his brilliant Premier League performances, pointing out that he has never won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) even though Egypt is the most successful nation in the tournament.
The outspoken pundit also suggested that Salah was not considered a special player before joining Liverpool, noting that he had been rejected by Chelsea and other European clubs before eventually thriving at Liverpool.
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In response, the former Super Eagles captain lambasted Carragher for using Salah’s lack of an AFCON title to undermine the player’s legacy.
Obi argued that Carragher, who never won the Premier League during his playing career, is not in the right position to criticise a player who helped Liverpool win the title multiple times, and that AFCON has nothing to do with Premier League performance.
“You’ll know exactly who I’m talking about. To always, always criticise some African players. We are talking about Liverpool here. We are talking about the Premier League, and you have somebody sitting in the studio criticising Mo Salah and saying Mo Salah has never won the Africa Cup of Nations.
“That’s a failure? Criticising him? He’s qualified for two World Cups but hasn’t won AFCON, what’s that got to do with the Premier League?” he questioned on The Obi Podcast.
The former Chelsea midfielder continued, “Why do you talk about Mo Salah being a failure at Chelsea? People fail. It’s about how you get back up. And Mo Salah did fail at Chelsea, but he got up, he became stronger, he became a better player. And that’s what we see today at Liverpool.”
Watch Obi's remarks below:
😡 ‘HE NEVER WON THE PREMIER LEAGUE’@mikel_john_obi can’t hide his anger at a certain pundit’s criticism of Mohamed Salah. 👀
— The Obi One Podcast (@obionepodcast) December 15, 2025
📺 Mikel defends Salah: https://t.co/G02DV1VytL pic.twitter.com/hODfDFPV2Q
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