Soccer (Football)
8 Things We Bet you didn’t Know About Mohamed Salah
It’s definitely the year of the Egyptian golden boy.
The Mo Salah dream is not showing signs of stopping any time soon, and with good reason. Forty odd goals in less than a full season have made the former Roma man ‘The Pharaoh of Anfield’ and this campaign’s PFA Player of the Year.
As he bathes in deserved media adoration, we are simply running out of things to say about him. But we bet you didn’t know these 9 facts.
1) He had a tough start
Being Mo Salah was not always the speedy experience you would expect. Back in the day, he had to traverse the eight-hour round journey from his hometown to Cairo on 10 different buses in total – five days a week for four years. That’s commitment.
2) He’s the jewel of Egypt
In 2014, Salah’s future in football came into question when his educational programme that allowed him to stay abroad was rescinded. This meant he had to return to Egypt to serve in the army for over a year.
According to reports however, the Egyptian Prime Minister intervened, freeing Salah from his national duties so he can focus on football. The end result is Egypt is in the World Cup.
3) He has a heart of Gold
Salah is not just a speed demon; he is also an angel. The 15-million-euro-net-worth player has taken it upon himself to alleviate poverty in his hometown, Nagrig in Gharbia.
His charity includes building a school for millions of pounds, providing gear and an ambulance to the local hospital and setting up various children charities across Nagrig.
And it gets better…
4) Salah and the thief
A thief burgled Salah’s family home while he was playing in Alexandria. When the police caught the culprit a couple of days later, Salah’s father issued charges against him, but upon learning that, the footballer convinced his father to drop the charges. He met with thief and gave him money in bid to help him sort out his life and he even tried to find him a job.
The mo’ you hear about it, the Mo’ you love him.
5) He holds the best disciplinary record in the Premier League
Apparently, Salah’s moral virtues extend onto the pitch too. In 31 league games this season, he has committed only 14 fouls and has not been booked or sent off even once. This, however, might have something to do with him being too quick for others to catch up.
6) He fell out with fans, but won them back
Salah felt the wrath of the Liverpool faithful when he sent former Chelsea teammate Demba Ba his good wishes on Twitter. The outrage might have had something to do with him posting a shot of Ba celebrating the goal after the infamous Steven Gerrard slip that cost the Reds the title in 2014.
To get back into their graces, Salah reverted to scoring a ton of goals. And it has worked.
7) He is a fan of Muhammad Ali
The footballer is a fan of the late Muhammad Ali.
The diminutive Egyptian has jumped back on his feet in a typical Ali style following his unsuccessful Chelsea spell – judging by his 41 goals for the Reds this season.
8) He is also a big fan of the actors Khaled El Nabawy and Leonardo Dicaprio
Salah is a big fan of the Egyptian actor Khaled El Nabawy, who has starred alongside a number of Hollywood stars in films like Kingdom of Heaven, Mission Impossible and Fair Game. He is also believed to be a fan of Leonardo Dicaprio.
Maybe Salah will be looking to get into cinema a la Vinnie Jones after retirement?