Liverpool fans call him the 'Egyptian King' and with good reason as Mohamed Salah Hamed Ghaly Taha or Mo Salah as he is popularly known has had a hugely successful season at Anfield and has been shortlisted for the Premier League Player of the Season award, in association with EA Sports.
Photos: The rise of the 'Egyptian King' Mo Salah!
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.
Mo Salah had to work hard to get where is at currently.
Salah started his senior career with hometown club El Mokawloon in the Egyptian Premier League in 2010.
The club is a middle-of-the-league club and Salah did not play for any top-ranked Egyptian club like Al Ahly and Al Zamalek, but still managed to become a phenomenon proving that you don’t need to play for the giants to be a giant.
Shortly after playing for El Mokawloon, he departed to join Basel for an undisclosed fee.
In Switzerland, he starred as he won the league title in his debut season, winning the SAFP Golden Player Award in the process.
Salah left Egypt and had high ambitions to play in Europe as he started in the Swiss league which comes as the 12th strongest league in Europe currently. FC Basel was the turning point of Salah’s career winning the league twice with an outstanding performance reaching Europa League semis playing 79 games scoring 20 goals in two seasons.
He was the first Egyptian to be signed for the Stamford Bridge. On 8 February, Salah made his debut for Chelsea in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute in the 3–0 win over Newcastle United. On 22 March, Salah scored his first goal for Chelsea against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the London Derby, coming on as a substitute for Oscar, in a match which ended with a 6–0 win for the Blues. On 5 April, Salah opened the scoring and later won a penalty and an assist in Chelsea's 3–0 win over Stoke City.
In February 2015, Chelsea confirmed that Salah would play for the Italian club Fiorentina on an 18-month loan until the end of the 2015–16 season. Six days after signing, he made his Fiorentina debut coming off the bench in the 65th minute as a replacement for Joaquín in a 3–2 Serie A victory against Atalanta at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Salah made his first start for Fiorentina on 14 February against Sassuolo, scoring his first goal for the club in the 30th minute. He then provided an assist to Khouma Babacar just two minutes after scoring; the match ended in a 3–1 win for Fiorentina.
At the end of the season, Fiorentina reportedly activated an option to make the loan move permanent, but Salah refused the move. Even though the loan agreement was for 18 months, Salah refused to return to Fiorentina and instead joined fellow Serie A club Roma.
In August 2015, Salah joined Roma on a season-long loan for €5 million with the option to make the deal permanent for a reported €15 million.
At the end of the season, Salah was named Player of the Season, finishing as the club's top goalscorer with 15 goals in all competitions and six assists. He scored a hat-trick at the Stadio Olimpico on 6 November as Roma won 3–0 against Bologna.
In June 2017, Salah agreed to a transfer to Liverpool. He signed a long-term contract for an initial €42m fee that could rise to up to €50m.
The fee was a club record, eclipsing the £35m spent on Andy Carroll in 2011. He was assigned the number 11 shirt. He joined the club on 1 July upon the opening of the summer transfer window, becoming Liverpool's first Egyptian player.
On 17 March 2018, Salah scored four goals in a 5–0 win over Watford, which was his first hat-trick for Liverpool. In this game, he also broke a record of scoring 36 times in his debut season for Liverpool, and also became the leading goalscorer in Europe's top five leagues – overtaking Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
Following Salah’s record breaking goal exploits former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard stated "we are witnessing the start of greatness"
On 22 April 2018, Salah was awarded the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, having earlier been named in the PFA Team of the Year for the Premier League.
Two days later, he scored a brace in a 5–2 Champions League semi-final first leg win over former club, Roma. In doing so, he simultaneously became the first player from Africa and the first Liverpool player to score 10 goals in a single campaign in the tournament.
His double also took him to 43 goals for the season across all competitions, surpassing Roger Hunt's tally of 42, and making him Liverpool's second-highest goalscorer in a single season, behind Ian Rush.
After his two goals and assists in the first leg, Salah featured in the second leg of the semi-final of the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League as Liverpool beat Roma 6-7 on aggregate to qualify for the final for the first time in eleven years.
Upon signing for Chelsea, José Mourinho said of Salah: "He's young, he's fast, he's creative, he's enthusiastic. When we analysed him he looks the kind of humble personality on the pitch, ready to work for the team."
Mourinho went on to say that Salah has "similar qualities" with "talented players" that he had worked with, such as Gareth Bale and Arjen Robben.[85] His technical skills, pace, position and direct playing style led him to be nicknamed the "Egyptian Messi", in the Italian media.
2017 was very good for Salah, as he took Egypt to the World Cup after 28 years, he also helped his team to reach the African Cup of Nations final after they failing to do so three years in a row. In 2018, a stronger Egyptian side with Mo Salah in their ranks will face Uruguay in their first match in Group A.
Mohammed Salah married Maggi in 2013.
Together they have a daughter named Makka who was born in 2014. His daughter is named after the holiest city in Islam and was born in Westminster Hospital in south-west London.
Muslim and often celebrates goals by performing the sujood. Liverpool fans created a chant to the tune of Dodgy's "Good Enough", saying that if Salah continued to score goals, they would convert to Islam. Salah gave his approval to the
chant, and it has been cited as an example of inclusivity.
The Egyptian has been so impressive this season that the Ballon d'Or has been touted.
Whether or not Salah will be able to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi over the remaining eight months is unknown but winning the Champions League would do his chances the world of good.
A reporter asked him about his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or.
The exchange that followed, was brilliant.
Reporter: "You've won the two individual awards, but the Champions League is bigger than anything. It can take this team and you onto another level, maybe the Ballon d'Or? Fancy that?"
Salah swiftly responded: "Remember, I haven't scored for two games now!"
To that, reporter joked: "Maybe you'll get dropped for the final!"
Salah continued: "I just keep some goals for the final! You know, I will try my best always to help the rest of the team to win games in the Premier League, Champions League.
"We've had a great season now and we have to think about the next two games in the Premier League, then the Champions League."
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.
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.
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.
Like many Egyptians, Salah is very active on social media. You can follow him on Facebook by clicking here, on Twitter he’s @22mosalah and he’s also on Instagram @mosalah22.
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