Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos did not mean to injure Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah in the Champions League final, claims former Reds star Danny Murphy.
The Blancos skipper has faced a wave of criticism on the back of his first-half tackle in Kiev which left the Reds’ 44-goal forward nursing a shoulder problem and sweating on his World Cup dream.
Salah, who was forced off in tears on the grandest of European stages, has since stated that he is “confident” he will be ready for international duty with Egypt in Russia this summer.
That has done little to stem the tide against Ramos, though, with the Spain international the subject of a supporter-led petition calling for him to face punishment for his actions, while an Egyptian lawyer has filed a €1 billion (£873m/$1.2bn) lawsuit against the 32-year-old.
Former Reds midfielder Murphy believes things have been taken too far, telling talkSPORT of an unfortunate incident in a 3-1 defeat for Jurgen Klopp’s side: “There’s no way in the world that a mixed martial arts expert would know by falling over a certain way you’re going to do your shoulder.
“I mean, I’ve had it loads of times where your arm gets trapped, they link and they keep of you because you’re getting away from them or vice versa.
“Look, Ramos is a clever guy and he is a wonderful footballer, you can tell that by everything he has won.
“But he is cynical, he is what you want a centre half to be in many respects.”
While Ramos was public enemy number one in the eyes of Liverpool supporters, the Anfield faithful were also left less than impressed by the actions of one of their own.
Loris Karius endured an evening to forget against Madrid, with the German goalkeeper producing two costly mistakes to hand a third successive continental crown to the Blancos.
Jurgen Klopp is expected to dip into the summer transfer market for reinforcements between the sticks on the back of another error-strewn showing from his current custodian, with Murphy of the opinion that Karius may have played his last game for the club.
He added: “I actually feel sorry for him. I really do.
“Nobody goes into a game wanting to make mistakes.
“Unfortunately I don’t think he’ll play in a Liverpool shirt again. It’s impossible for him.
“I think [with] the magnitude of the mistakes and the enormity of the game, the supporters will struggle with him being in goal for them and the continual ribbing he will get week in, week out, wherever he goes – that’s going to be huge pressure for him.
“I just can’t see him playing [for Liverpool] again.
“That’s not being dramatic, that’s a reality of the situation.”