Sakho’s Handshake and the Ghost of Anfield’s Past

Forgotten Faces, Unforgiven Moments

In football, memories linger. Not just the triumphant ones — Istanbul, Barcelona, the shimmering parades — but also the jarring flashpoints, the split-second decisions that rupture bonds between player and supporter. For Mamadou Sakho, one handshake has defined his Liverpool legacy more than any tackle, pass or passionate cry to the Kop.

The former France international has broken his silence via an interview with the Liverpool Echo, revisiting that moment at Anfield in 2017. It was Christian Benteke who struck the dagger in a 2–1 win for Crystal Palace, but it was Sakho, celebrating animatedly with his then-teammate near the touchline, who absorbed the ire.

“I just celebrated with my team-mate. That’s it,” Sakho explained. “He came to me, I was on the bench and I couldn’t play. We just did our handshake.”

That handshake, however, felt like betrayal. Not merely because Sakho was on the Palace bench while still technically a Liverpool player — albeit on loan — but because of what it represented. A misjudgement. A detachment from the club’s values. A lack of understanding of what Anfield means to those who fill it every week.

Disrespect or Misunderstanding?

Intent is one thing. Optics, in football especially, are everything. Sakho’s insistence that “it wasn’t my intention” to offend carries weight — he does not speak with malice, but rather with the tone of a man still trying to rationalise his place in a story that got away from him.

“I respect the club and I respect all the fans and they know already,” he added. Perhaps. But football’s emotional ledger rarely balances so neatly.

His tenure at Liverpool was already strained. The falling-out with Jürgen Klopp was public and swift. The missed flight, the lateness for meals, the banishment from the pre-season tour — all symptoms of a breakdown in discipline and trust.

“But seriously, because a player is late to eat, the time’s 7.15 and he comes at 7.18, now he leaves the club? Come on,” Sakho reflected. His words suggest an ongoing resentment, a belief that punishment outstripped the crime.

One Mistake Too Many

Klopp’s Liverpool was built on unity. Not perfection, but togetherness. Sakho, for all his ability, was inconsistent and unreliable. A brilliant defender on his day, but a risk to cohesion. Benteke’s goal that afternoon merely confirmed that Klopp’s ruthless reshuffle was justified. Sakho, once considered a future captain, had become surplus.

“Sometimes few things happen inside. I cannot talk about it, but it’s like this. ...