Carlos Quieroz worries he'll upset Cristiano Ronaldo after Mohamed Salah claim - The Mirror

Carlos Quieroz worked with Cristiano Ronaldo during his first spell at Man Utd but is now coaching Mohamed Salah with Egypt and hoping to win this month's AFCON

He once described Cristiano Ronaldo as “a Champion and a Superman”, but Carlos Quieroz believes that another football superhero has emerged to challenge for global supremacy.

Now coach of the Egyptian national team, former Manchester United assistant manager Quieroz is credited by even Sir Alex Ferguson as playing a huge role in the emergence of Ronaldo at the summit of the world game.

The pair were so close at Old Trafford that they were said to have a father and son relationship…which is quite possibly why the veteran coach offered an apology when discussing Egypt’s chances at the Africa Cup of Nations.

At a press conference just a few days ago, Quieroz said that in Mo Salah, his team has another “Champion” who is capable of leading his team-mates to the title. And when asked why, he replied with a huge smile:

“Probably you agree with me that in our team we have the best player on the planet at the moment. If my friend Cristiano Ronaldo listens to this, he will be upset!”

Quieroz has worked with some of the all time greats, so his words have resonance. That he is also so closely identified with Liverpool ’s greatest rivals adds even more currency to his assessment.

The bond with Ronaldo endured even a falling out when he was coach of Portugal as they crashed out of the 2010 World Cup amid some pointed criticism from the superstar about tactics.

Yet Quieroz recognises greatness where he sees it…and also enjoys a close relationship with Salah, despite the striker’s club allegiances.

It has been suggested that the Liverpool star recommended the Portuguese coach to his national team bosses when they were searching for a new manager.

Quieroz most recently managed the Colombia national team, where he is said to have had friendly dealings with the Egyptian’s lawyer and advisor Ramy Abbas, who is a Colombian native.

He immediately confirmed Salah as his captain and squad leader on appointment, and has enjoyed some real success with his new nation in steering them to the semi final of the Fifa Arab Cup without his European-based stars.

Salah returns for the bigger prize - the search for Egypt’s record-breaking AFCON title - and Quieroz has belief he can deliver.

“We are not going to AFCON to take a walk, we are going to win…and to do that we need a winning mentality,” he explained.

“Mohamed Salah has that and he can instill that in the team. He is the best player in the world right now, and with that comes belief and confidence.

“We are a team, not one player. We build a team. But we build it with the best player in the world included, and that brings the right mentality into the team.”

Right behind Salah though, is his team-mate Sadio Mane, whose Senegal could pose the biggest threat to Egypt’s attempt to lift the trophy.

Mane won the African Footballer of the Year when he steered his nation to the final in 2019, and this time is hoping to go one better.

It promises to be an epic contest between two Premier League heavyweights, and one Quieroz is hoping can end with Salah confirming he has taken the crown of the world’s best from his one time mentee Ronaldo.