There was an interesting subplot to the Champions League draw as UEFA opted to seat Mohamed Salah in front of rival Sergio Ramos, who later tapped the Egyptian on the shoulder as he collected his Defender of the Year award.
Salah’s World Cup was somewhat neutered by the injured shoulder he received as a result of a challenge from Real Madrid defender Ramos in last season’s Champions League final.
It appeared as though that won’t soon be forgotten, as the record-breaking Liverpool forward remained stone-faced throughout most of the draw – even as Ramos appeared to reference the incident by tapping the Egyptian’s shoulder as he received the award for the best defender in the competition last season.
The injury suffered in the match with Real Madrid in Kiev forced Salah off during the first half and would limit his participation in the World Cup in Russia this summer.
Salah had been Egypt’s talisman during the African side’s qualification campaign, scoring five times in the process.
The awkward seating arrangements were not lost on social media users.
What looked like a miserable evening for Salah was compounded by him losing out in the UEFA award for the best player of last season, which went to Luka Modric of Real Madrid.