Klopp says Salah "full of power"
regardless of Ramadan plans
Re
Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp says forward
Mohamed Salah will be at peak fitness for
Saturday's Champions League final regardless
of whether or not he is observing the fasting
rules of Ramadan.
The question of whether devout Muslim Salah
has chosen to fast in the build-up to the
encounter with Real Madrid in Kiev has
attracted a lot of media interest.
Liverpool's physiotherapist Ruben Pons told
Spanish radio station Onda Cero that Egypt
forward Salah had been observing Ramadan
during the team's recent training camp in
Marbella but had chosen to interrupt his
fasting three days before the final.
"As I understand it religion is a private matter
so I have nothing to say about that but all is
fine, you will see him in training, he is full of
power, you need to be a day before the final,"
Klopp told a news conference.
The Ramadan fast is a time when Muslims are
required to abstain from food and drink during
daylight hours.
Athletes are allowed to defer their fasts until
a later date, but many Muslim sportsmen and
women from cultures or countries where not
fasting is frowned upon may well honour the
holy month.
The Egyptian broke the Premier League
scoring record for a 38-game season with 32
league goals this campaign and has also
netted 10 times in the Champions League.
Salah's dominant displays in Europe have
sparked debate over whether the Liverpool
striker could break the decade-long
stranglehold on the Ballon d'Or award of Real
Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's
Lionel Messi.
Klopp, however, had little enthusiasm for
adding to the discussion.
"It's not important, no manager is interested in
that," he said.
"Messi and Ronaldo deserve all the praise
they have had in the past. Now they are in
their 30s and still at a great level. We will see
in next years if Mo can go there."
bd: bdnews24