 |
Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has called Sergio Ramos' foul on Mohamed Salah in the 2018 Champions League final a "masterstroke" of defending.
Salah was forced off with a shoulder injury after just half an hour into Liverpool's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid after being hauled down by Ramos.
The Spaniard appeared to grip Salah's arm inside his own as they tumbled in the early stages of the game in Kiev.
Ramos has always said he didn't set out to injure Salah, but Chiellini has joined cynics to suggest the 34-year-old hardman knew what he was doing to the Reds striker.
In his autobiography, veteran Italy centre-back Chiellini said:
He's the best defender in the world. They say he's impulsive, not tactical at all, that 8-10 goals are conceded each season through his mistakes, that he's very technical and that he could be a striker, which is the opposite of me.
However, he has two characteristics that almost no-one else has. He knows how to be decisive in big games, with interventions that go beyond any logic, that even cause injuries with almost devilish wit.
The one on Salah in the 2018 Champions League Final was a masterstroke. He's always said that he didn't do it on purpose, knowing that nine times out of ten, falling like he did and by not letting go, he risked breaking his opponent's arm.
