Liverpool star snubbed Real Madrid icon after controversial Mo Salah incident

Harvey Elliott once snubbed a meeting with former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos due to his cynical challenge to Mohamed Salah during Liverpool's 2018 Champions League final defeat. Elliott watched from the sidelines Arne Slot's side will teach the Champions League holders a footballing lesson, beating the European titans 2-0 at Anfield on November 28.

Before donning the red jersey in 2019, Elliott was also a coveted target for the Spanish powerhouses. With his prodigious talent attracting worldwide attention, Real Madrid used all their charms to lure the then youngest Premier League player to the Bernabeu.

In their ambitious quest, Los Blancos have tasked Ramos with convincing the promising England U21 international to join their ranks. However, Elliott, a childhood Liverpool fan, could not ignore the 2018 Champions League incident in which Ramos notoriously injured Salah.

When asked if the rumor was true in an interview with The Athletic in 2020, Elliott replied: “Yes, it's true. I turned it down because of what he did to Mo. [Salah]”.

Elliott sealed his £4.3million move to Liverpool in 2019, after the Reds and Fulham agreed a fee through the professional football remuneration committee. Since then, he has made 120 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 10 goals and 14 assists.

Having struggled with injuries this season, the England Under-21 star has yet to make his mark under Arne Slot, due to a broken foot earlier in the season. Despite earning a place on the bench against Ancelotti's side, he remained an unused substitute as Liverpool won 2-0.

While Elliott could have donned Madrid's famous white jersey at Anfield, his affinity for Liverpool was too great.

In a candid chat with The Athletic in 2020, Elliott said: “When I was little, I just remember the buzz of walking up the steps inside the Anfield stand, seeing the lights and the players warming up – what a spectacle. My heroes were Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.

“I loved watching them. My dad was a big fan of Fernando Torres and we had a big poster of him at home. My dad and I always tried to do as many away games as possible.

“We had to tell a few lies to school and to my mother along the way! 'Make sure you find a nice hotel,'” she would say. The place we stayed in kyiv, in this rundown building, was terrible.

“But that's part of the fun of being a football fan: following your team wherever they go and the experiences you share with friends and family. The result wasn't great but the journey in it -even in kyiv was great.”