Mohamed Salah is Fernando Torres’ favourite player with the ex-Liverpool striker hailing the Egyptian’s efforts having crossed paths with him at Chelsea previously

Fernando Torres has hailed Mohamed Salah as his favourite player and believes he’s among the world’s top 10 performers.

The ex-Liverpool striker was back at Anfield last weekend taking part in a legends match and was quizzed on who he thinks stands out in the current Reds squad.

Salah has been the team’s talisman for the majority of his time on Merseyside – which is highlighted by him being the top scorer each season.

Mo Salah has been Liverpool’s standout player for much of his time at Anfield (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

The Egyptian was able to put his Chelsea difficulties behind him when he moved back to the Premier League. Torres once upon a time was team-mates with Salah when he first moved to England back in 2013 with the duo team-mates for a year at Stamford Bridge.

Salah had to move away to further his career, thriving at Fiorentina and Roma before Liverpool opted to spend well over £40million to land the forward. Torres is now thrilled to see what he’s achieved given his quality and mentality.

He said: “I remember when he came to England and he was very young and didn’t have the minutes he deserved. He had to move to Italy and prove himself and find a special club for a special player.

“You can see the results of what he did by himself. For me, [he is a] top player and one of the best players in the last 10 years. I always say this, [he is] my favourite player [and] I put him among the best players in the world in the last 10 years.”

Salah moved to Chelsea from Basel, where he’d been a leading light. He’s admitted previously that the pressure of playing at Chelsea was too much at that age which motivated him to move away. “It was so tough for me, mentally,” he said. “I couldn’t handle the pressure I had from the media, coming from outside. I was not playing that much. I felt, ‘No, I need to go’.”

Chelsea’s Fernando Torres, Mohamed Salah during a training session at the Cobham Training Ground on 4th April 2014 in Cobham, England.

(Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Salah had three years in Italy – one with Fiorentina and two with Roma. In his first year at Liverpool Salah broke numerous records as he smashed the 30-goal barrier and netted 44 times in all competition, which proved to be a sign of things to come.

Promoted Stories
He’s regularly picked up individual accolades in England, twice being named the PFA Player of the Year. Several seasons ago, which some see as Salah’s peak, Jurgen Klopp was adamant that the Egyptian was the world’s standout player.

The German said: “Come on, who is better than him? We don’t have to talk about what Messi and Ronaldo have done for world football and their dominance but, right now, he is the best.”