Salah cried after being scolded by Mourinho at Chelsea

Former midfielder John Obi Mikel revealed that Mohamed Salah once cried after being scolded by coach Jose Mourinho during halftime of a match while playing for Chelsea.

Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has scored 196 goals in 318 matches and has collected a complete set of titles with the Anfield team, including one Premier League, one FA Cup, one English Community Shield, one Champions League, one European Super Cup and one Club World Cup.

But before that, the Egyptian had a forgettable time at another English club, Chelsea, from 2014 to 2016. At Stamford Bridge, Salah scored just two goals in 19 games in all competitions. Salah even performed below expectations and was scolded by Jose Mourinho - Chelsea's coach at the time - to the point of tears at half-time.

"Kevin de Bruyne and Salah are unlucky because Mourinho doesn't care who you are. If you don't do your job well, you will incur Mourinho's wrath," Obi Mikel said on the Obi One podcast on October 31. "Mourinho yelled at Salah at half-time in the first game, and he burst into tears. We thought Salah would continue to play in the second half. But Mourinho continued to yell at him and took Salah off the pitch."

Mourinho instructs Salah during a Chelsea match. Photo: Chelsea FC — Mourinho instructs Salah during a Chelsea match. Photo: *Chelsea FC*

According to Obi Mikel, Mourinho is now more mature, has a different working style and may not react in the same way. The former Nigerian midfielder sees Mourinho's strict style as the "Special One" trying to bring out the best in each player.

Another top Premier League star who has been a disappointment at Chelsea is De Bruyne. He joined the Blues in early 2012, then continued to play for Genk on loan until the end of the season. De Bruyne played for Chelsea in the summer of 2012, but was loaned to Bremen for the new season on a one-year contract.

The Belgian midfielder only played for Chelsea - then coached by Jose Mourinho - in the summer of 2013, but only stayed for half a season. In early 2014, Wolfsburg recruited De Bruyne for $25 million. In total, he only played nine games for Chelsea.

In the summer of 2015, De Bruyne joined Man City for a then club record fee of $80 million. He has become one of the best attacking midfielders in the world, contributing 96 goals and 153 assists in 358 matches, helping the Etihad Stadium team win 13 titles, including the historic treble last season.

But according to Obi Mikel, De Bruyne has not been performing at the same level at Chelsea, especially in training. Cameroon legend Samuel Eto'o, who played for Chelsea from 2013-2014, was even angry with De Bruyne's lackluster performances.

Mourinho with De Bruyne at Chelsea training ground. Photo: *AFC*

"De Bruyne wasn't the best in training at the time," Mikel recalled. "When he came to training and knew he wasn't playing much, De Bruyne would always hang his head, get angry and sulk. He was like a kid who came to the pitch and no one wanted to train with him. Eto'o used to fight and argue with De Bruyne because he wasn't working as hard as Eto'o wanted."

Also appearing in the conversation, Terry - a centre-back who played for Chelsea from 2004-2017 and became a symbol of the club - admitted that he should have intervened more to help De Bruyne and Salah, who were then just potential young players, integrate into their new environment.

"Chelsea's loss has benefited Man City and Liverpool," Terry said. "De Bruyne and Salah have worked hard to achieve the superstar status they have now. We didn't expect them to have such a position, but it's commendable that they left the club and have continuously improved to become superstars. When I watch De Bruyne recently, I wonder if that's the guy who used to play for Chelsea?"

Hong Duy

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