Jamie Carragher responds as Rio Ferdinand leads widespread criticism over Africa Cup of Nations view

In response to his remarks regarding the significance of the Africa Cup of Nations, Jamie Carragher has issued a statement on various social media platforms.

In a nonchalant manner, the legendary Liverpool player made the remark that the continental competition is not a “major tournament.”

At that moment, Carragher was talking about Mohamed Salah’s performance, which included another goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory over Manchester City. However, the conversation then shifted to his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or.

In spite of the fact that he has never finished higher than fifth in any previous competition, the Egyptian is currently the betting favourite to win the most prestigious individual prize in football.

In addition to this, the 32-year-old athlete did not even make it onto the shortlist of thirty men in 2024, and he finished eleventh in 2023.

In an effort to provide an explanation for why he had never been higher, Carragher stated, “I believe the problem is the fact that he is with Egypt, and he is probably not playing in the major tournament as such or maybe got a great chance of winning.”

“In my opinion, the player who excels in the major tournament or the Champions League is the one who wins it. This includes players like Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe who are currently competing in the major tournaments.

After that, Micah Richards chimed in and said, “I’ll just say that the African Cup of Nations is a major tournament.” At home, there are a lot of people who will say that they are taking that seriously. Do you know that the African Cup of Nations is a major tournament?

Carragher’s former teammate at Liverpool, Daniel Sturridge, concurred with his fellow former Manchester City player and added, “It’s a fact, it’s a fact. It’s a fact.”

The African Cup of Nations is on par with winning the Euros or the Copa America, which are both considered to be major accomplishments.

However, it is possible that he is taken aback by the criticism that he has received, as Salah’s former teammate in Egypt, Ahmed Elmohamady, has taken to social media to express his opinion.

The right-back who had previously played for Sunderland, Hull, and Aston Villa wrote that Jamie Carragher could not possibly understand what major tournaments are because he had never won one.

“The African Cup of Nations is a Major Tournament. So pleased to have triumphed in it twice.

Elmohamady was victorious in the continental competition in both 2008 and 2010, but Salah did not participate in either of those victories. Salah went on to lose the finals of the competition twice, in 2017 and 2021.

Carragher was never able to make it to the final with England, but he did win the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005 thanks to his efforts.

Previously, the pundit has engaged in a conflict with Salah as a result of his opinions, and he has also engaged in a similar conflict with Rio Ferdinand, who has also contributed to this discussion.

The former Manchester United defender made the following statement on his YouTube channel: “That comment is representative of the majority of people out there, and I think it’s an ignorant thought process.”

According to Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Riyad Mahrez, and Salah, if you go to them now, they will tell you that “we have to win this.” Although it does not receive the same level of investment support as the Euro, this does not mean that you should devalue it. It is a continent of enormous power that makes a significant contribution to the development of football in Europe.

“It ought to be respected more than it currently is not. I don’t agree with what Jamie is saying, but I do understand what he is saying. That is the opinion of the majority, and it is not correct.

“What Jamie is saying, and he is correct, is that if Salah won the African Cup of Nations, it would not have any impact on anyone’s vote for the Ballon d’Or. This is incorrect, particularly because that was one of the aspects that he was arguing about.”

In response to this criticism, Carragher referred to Ferdinand as a “clown” on Instagram. He has since taken to his X account to address the criticism in its entirety, admitting that his comments were “clumsy.” “The point I was trying to make yesterday was that Mo Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Ballon d’Or,” he stated at the beginning.

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— Arne Slot (@arneslotttt) February 24, 2025

If Salah had a season at Liverpool that was average, but he won the African Cup of Nations and was the most valuable player, I do not believe that he would be awarded the Ballon d’Or. This is because I do not believe that the African Cup of Nations carries the same weight as other tournaments.

On the other hand, even if Kylian Mbappe had a dismal season at Real Madrid but still managed to win the World Cup or the European Championship, he would still have a fantastic opportunity.

“It’s not just about certain tournaments, [Andriy] Shevchenko (Ukraine) [Robert] Lewandowski (Poland) were never going to win the World Cup/Euros to help their case for the prize. In all honesty, I don’t believe that it is controversial in any way; it’s just a given.”

He continued by saying, “I know Mane came second a few years back after winning the tournament, but that alone wouldn’t have gotten him to that position. It was LFC being two games away from a quadruple that played a big role also.” This was in reference to Mane’s finish as the runner-up in the Ballon d’Or rankings.

It’s not disrespectful if I think the World Cup, European Championships, and Champions League are better tournaments; it’s just my opinion when I watch them. Although I thought it was clumsy to say that it wasn’t a major competition, I believe that the majority of people who watched were able to comprehend the point that I was trying to make.

He went on to discuss the look he had given the camera, as well as the reason he had taken to social media in order to respond.

“The face I pulled when Micah interjected was nothing to do with the merits of the tournament,” he explained to reporters.

“As soon as he did it, I had a feeling right away about what the response was going to be! The fact that a lot of people didn’t like what I said is perfectly acceptable to me.

“In general, I do not respond to things on this platform with posts like this one; however, I made the decision to tweet in the end after witnessing a large number of fakes jumping on the bandwagon and playing to the gallery when they were aware of what I meant.

“Good luck Mo you little dancer.”

Salah’s fine form has put Liverpool on the verge of winning a second Premier League title and 20th top flight crown overall.

With his goal against Manchester City, which was his 25th of the season, he moved up to third place on the list of top scoring players in Liverpool’s history, which currently stands at 241.