After reaching double figures in his first 3 months with Liverpool, we take a look at the journey of Mohamed Salah.
Mohamed Salah, born in 1992 in a small village in Egypt, started his career in a mid-table club “Arab Contractors”. He climbed his way through the ranks of the club until he played regular football in the first team.
He started impressing many with his lightning pace and his eye for goal. Big teams in Egypt started wondering about this young winger. In Egypt, it’s every player’s dream to play in one of the two biggest clubs “El-Ahly” or “Zamalek”. Salah auditioned in “Zamalek”, so close to a dream move, but he was labeled “not good enough” by the club. Little did they know, that one day he would be one of the stars of the Premier League.
Mohamed Salah: From the Egyptian league to an Anfield hero
This uncompleted move was a blessing in disguise. It was then when he went to Basel, one of the biggest clubs in Switzerland. Egyptian football fans watched nearly every game of Basel, although some didn’t even know about the Swiss club before Salah. In 2013, Salah won the player of the year in the Swiss League.
The real breakthrough came in European competition. Big clubs started paying attention to the rising star. Mohamed scored three goals against Chelsea including a winner in the Champions League and a goal against Spurs in the Europa League.
Chelsea Blues
Big clubs in Europe started asking about the pacy winger. In the summer of 2013, Liverpool were on the verge of signing him, until a phone call from Jose Mourinho changed his mind. Salah was quoted saying on an Egyptian tv show “Mourinho texted me and unfortunately, I hadn’t paid my phone bills so I couldn’t call him. So I texted him back so that he can call me. His phone call had a big role in my decision to join Chelsea.”
His Chelsea career didn’t go as planned though. With starts in the first team few and far between, Salah could not prove himself in the Premier League. He had to go somewhere where he could play regular football. His next move was to join Fiorentina on loan. Meanwhile, Salah was doing wonders for the national team. He dragged the team to a final match in the World Cup qualifications played over two legs against Ghana. However, Egypt lost 7-3 on aggregate to crush the dreams of many Egyptians and of Salah.
Serie A
The young Egyptian took Serie A by storm, scoring a memorable brace against Juventus. His stay at Fiorentina was not long though. Soon, Roma came knocking at the door and Salah could not say no to the Italian giant. He was the new hero of the Stadio Olimpico.
Salah had 34 goals and 24 assists in 84 games for Roma. Playing alongside the likes of Edin Dzeko and Stephen El Shaarawy, he proved to be one of the best players in Serie A. Maybe it was the challenge of playing in the Premier League again or wanting to play under Jurgen Klopp, it was time for him to join Liverpool.
Merseyside
A much-improved and more-mature player returned to the Premier League. He came to the Merseyside club hoping to prove himself in England. So far, he has done just that. Salah has so far scored 10 goals in just 16 games, across all competitions. It is a great start to his Liverpool career, and a great record for a winger. He needed little time to adapt to the Premier League, playing alongside the likes of Phillipe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino.
Throughout his journey, Egyptian fans have followed and supported every club he’s been to. Salah, who’s known for his charity in his home village, has scored 32 goals in only 56 games for his country. He needs another 38 to become Egypt’s all-time top goal scorer. The highlight of these 32 goals was the last-minute penalty against Uganda to send his country to the World Cup after a 27-year absence.
Despite his fantastic start with Liverpool, many agree that Salah isn’t a natural finisher. But his pace and positioning are what makes him special. If he is to continue this great form, he will surely be an Anfield great.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images