The first European club to which Mohamed Salah joined was the Swiss from Basel. After his first season, Mohamed received the award for the best young player in Switzerland and during the gala evening, he kissed on the cheek a girl who was presenting him with the award. This sparked a serious scandal in Egypt, where he was portrayed as an immoral enemy of traditional values. Salah was simply baffled by the reaction: "No matter where I am in Switzerland, they applaud me, but at the same time, the Egyptian fans hate me."
In Egypt today, Salah is a miracle. He led the national team to the 2018 World Cup, the country’s first in 28 years, and has become a national hero. He is breaking records in the English Premier League, competing with Messi and Ronaldo, and has already been named the best player in Africa and the best player in the Premier League. He is revered at every turn in the country. Salah cares deeply for his hometown of Nagrig. He goes beyond cash transfers and has built a school, an indoor football pitch and equipped a gym there. In late 2017, Mohamed made another significant gesture: he saved the local currency. When officials admitted that the Egyptian pound was in dire need of foreign currency support, Salah was one of the first to respond, donating £210 to the government. Despite his success, he remains humble. After leading Egypt to the 000 World Cup, a local businessman promised to offer Salah a villa, but he declined, asking instead for help for his village.
In 2014, Salah's future in football became uncertain when the educational program that allowed him to go abroad ended. According to Egyptian law, Mohamed had to pay his debt to the homeland and serve in the army. At that time, Salah was already playing for Chelsea and his situation was discussed in a meeting involving the country's prime minister, the minister of education and the head coach of the national team. Ultimately, a reasonable decision was made to allow Salah to continue his playing career.
As a child, Salah represented the local team El Mowkaloon, where he played as a left-back. Getting to training sessions meant taking five different buses. He did this five days a week for four years, but Mohamed loved football, and he especially loved scoring goals. After a match against a direct rival, which Salah's team won 4-0, everyone in the dressing room was celebrating except Mo. He was crying because he hadn't scored in such an important match. That's when the coach moved Salah to attack. It worked well, as Salah scored 35 goals in the U16 and U17 teams. Mohamed is often called the "Egyptian Messi" because of his physical resemblance and similar playing style, but interestingly, he has a greater admiration for Ronaldo. This is because Ronaldo works on himself like no one else.
Salah is a deeply religious person. After every goal he scores, he raises his hands to the Almighty, and even in the scorching heat of 35 degrees, he refuses to drink during the Ramadan water break. In the Basel club cafeteria, he has also adapted his food preferences to his faith. In addition, Mohamed Salah named his daughter Makka. He originally wanted to name her after Mecca, the city he aspired to make a pilgrimage to. However, he later realized that the name would resemble the gambling network “Mecca Bingo,” and gambling is forbidden in Islam. So he decided to change the spelling of his daughter’s name.
Salah is one of the fastest athletes in modern football. In the FIFA 18 video game, his speed rating is 99, surpassing that of Cristiano Ronaldo. Last year, beIN Sports conducted a special study and concluded that Salah was about as fast as Usain Bolt. The measurements showed that he covered 70 meters in 7 seconds, running on grass rather than a special track, wearing boots instead of cleats, and not in a straight line. Salah once said that he aspired to become the greatest Egyptian footballer in history and that he was working diligently to achieve this goal. For now, he is chasing his dream faster than he is chasing money. If this continues, he could easily become the greatest footballer in African history. At the very least…
He leads a simple and modest life, showing politeness and openness during interviews. His social media posts clearly reflect these qualities. He has no tattoos, does not change his hairstyle and does not know how to dance. All he wants is to play football. After signing with Chelsea, Mourinho described him as a person with a humble character and incredible enthusiasm. Salah is the most disciplined player in the Premier League, which once again demonstrates his modesty. Many admire his character.
He is actively involved in the fight against drugs. There has been no stronger campaign against drugs in Egypt because of his immense influence, especially among young people. He appeared in a video discouraging the use of various narcotics, which was viewed millions of times after being shared on social media. This anti-drug campaign also led to a fourfold increase in phone calls aimed at preventing drug abuse.
He is actively involved in philanthropy. He finances the Mohamed Salah Charity Foundation, which provides food to rural residents of the Nile Delta. He became the first person to donate an ambulance to a hospital in his hometown. He is funding the construction of a hospital and a girls' school in his hometown to reduce the exodus of people seeking these facilities. He is also assisting Tanta University Hospital by purchasing medical equipment.
Dans son enfance, il a joué à FIFA dans le cadre de « Liverpool ». Il est désormais le fils adoptif bien-aimé du club du Merseyside, un attaquant dont les buts ont aidé son équipe à remporter la finale de la Ligue des champions. Les fans sont dévoués à leur « roi égyptien », avec une phrase dans une chanson disant: « S’il marque encore quelques buts, je deviendrai musulman aussi ».