Sergio Ramos knew he could have broken Mohamed Salah's arm in the 2018 Champions League final.
That's according to Giorgio Chiellini, who claims that despite the Real Madrid defender's apologies, he was aware that falling in the way he did without loosening his grip on Salah's arm could have had serious repercussions.
Liverpool forward Salah was forced off in the 2018 Champions League final following a tangle with Ramos, which saw him injure his arm.
Ramos - known to dabble in football's dark arts - professed his innocence after Real Madrid had won the final 3-1. On social media, he wrote: "Sometimes football shows you it's good side and other times the bad. Above all, we are fellow pros. Get well soon Mo Salah."
But Chiellini, in his autobiography, has suggested Ramos knew exactly what he was doing, adding the Spaniard pulled off a "masterstroke".
"He, Sergio the master, has always said that it was unintentional," wrote Chiellini, as reported by Spaniard publication AS.
"But he was aware that falling in the way that he did, without loosening his grip on that hold, nine times out of 10 you can break your opponent's arm."
He added: "You could say he's impulsive and not very tactically aware, that he is responsible for conceding eight or 10 goals a season and if I'm pulled up for two or three I'd be slaughtered.
"He's a very technical player, more of a striker than a defender, the complete opposite of me.
"Without him, Madrid turn into a team without a defence. Without him, [Raphael] Varane, Marcelo and [Dani] Carvajal look like kids playing for the reserve team."
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