Adebayor defends Salah after Carragher criticism
26th December 2025
Former Togolese star footballer Emmanuel Adebayor looks on ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group B football match between Egypt and Ghana at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 18, 2024. (Photo by Issouf SANOGO / AFP) (Photo by ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images)
Former Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor has strongly rebuked Jamie Carragher’s comments about Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, describing them as unfair and disrespectful to one of football’s most consistent performers.
Adebayor’s Response
Adebayor rejected Carragher’s suggestion that Salah’s leadership and influence were waning:
“He has been consistent for seven or eight years. To talk about him as if he is a finished player or a problem for the team is wrong.”
He emphasised Salah’s stature:
“Mo Salah is an African icon, but he is also a global football icon. When you have a player like that, you cherish him.”
Adebayor criticised the tone of Carragher’s remarks:
“Carragher was a great defender, and he knows how hard it is to play against a player like Salah. To sit in a studio and say these things, it feels like he’s forgotten what it’s like on the pitch.”
Wider Context
Adebayor highlighted the double standards in how Salah is perceived:
“If he were English, they would be building a statue for him every week. Because he is Salah, and because he is African, people find it easy to criticize him.”
Salah, Liverpool’s talisman since 2017, has consistently delivered goals and assists, cementing his reputation as one of the Premier League’s greatest forwards.
Carragher’s remarks came during a difficult spell for Liverpool, but Adebayor’s defence underscores Salah’s enduring impact and global recognition.
Adebayor’s intervention adds weight to the debate around Salah’s legacy, reminding critics that his consistency and influence deserve respect, not dismissal.