Rio Ferdinand lashed out at Jamie Carragher, calling him a “clown” after Carragher’s controversial remarks about the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In the same match where Mohamed Salah starred with a goal and an assist in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City, Salah’s total contributions in the league reached 42. He is leading both the top scorer and assist charts by a wide margin, reigniting debates about his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.
Carragher, discussing Salah’s individual awards prospects, pointed out that his participation in major international tournaments like the World Cup or European Championship could be a key factor in winning individual awards:
“I think the problem [is] the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such or maybe got a great chance of winning [the Ballon d’Or].”
Carragher added, “I think it’s either the Champions League or the major tournament… normally, the player who excels in that, like Vini Jr and Kylian Mbappe right now, Real Madrid look really good going for the Champions League. Liverpool will be in that conversation too.”
He further said, “Right now he [Salah] is certainly the front runner. If he gets more trophies and titles, that could put him above Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard in terms of where he ranks in Liverpool legends because right now he’s right on their shoulders.”
Former Manchester City and England player Micah Richards strongly disagreed with Carragher’s comment, stating:
“I’ll just say, AFCON is a major tournament. A lot of people at home will say they’re taking that seriously. AFCON is a major tournament, just so you know.”
Carragher didn’t take Richards’ response seriously and retorted:
“Egypt are not going to win the World Cup, are they?”
Richards replied: “No, but AFCON is big. Remember when him and [Sadio Mane] were going for it.”
This exchange led to significant backlash against Carragher, with many criticizing his comments as thoughtless and disappointing.
Rio Ferdinand, in his show Rio Ferdinand Presents, also criticized Carragher’s remarks, calling them ignorant:
“I think that comment is representative of the majority of people out there. I don’t think that’s right,” he said.
Ferdinand went on: “I think that’s an ignorant thought process because if you go to Didier Drogba, Abedi Pele, Samuel Eto’o and down to the players now like Riyad Mahrez, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane now, they will tell you: ‘We have to win this!'”
Ferdinand emphasized: “It’s a demand in their countries to win this. Yes, it doesn’t get backed resources-wise like a Euros etcetera, but that doesn’t mean that you have to devalue it.”
He concluded, “It’s a continent of huge power and a continent that contributes to European football through players immensely, massively.”