Jurgen Klopp has insisted that it is "not important" whether Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will one day eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the world's best player.
The 25-year-old has matched Real Madrid ace Ronaldo for goals in all competitions this season, finding the net 44 times in a memorable debut campaign at Anfield.
Salah has been tipped to break Ronaldo and Messi's stranglehold on the Ballon d'Or award, with victory in the Champions League final against Madrid going a long way to helping him achieve that dream.
Speaking on the eve of that huge clash with Madrid in Kiev, though, Klopp was reluctant to get tied down about what his star man can achieve in the long term.
"That's not important," he told reporters on the comparisons with Ronaldo and Messi. "No manager is interested in that. Messi and Ronaldo deserve their praise and all the things they've won. For years they were on that level and now are 30-something but still on that level.
"If Mo can do that, we will see. He has fantastic potential. There is one more game to go but the season was outstanding. The next few seasons will show if he can do something similar."
AC Milan midfielder Kaka was the last player other than Ronaldo or Messi to win the Ballon d'Or award, being crowned the world's best player in 2007.
Daniel Lewis
