Mohamed Salah: The Egyptian King – where it all began for the Liverpool star

Salah played for the senior national team for 14 years, and his importance to Egypt is such that high-ranking government officials are known to step in when he is injured.

“I received calls from the Egyptian Minister of Health,” recalls Dr. Mohamed Abboud, the national team doctor, as Salah suffered a serious shoulder injury during Liverpool’s defeat to Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final, leading to speculation that he might miss the World Cup in Russia a few weeks later.

“I told him not to panic, everything is going well.”

Dr. Abboud, speaking from his medical clinic in the Maadi district of the Egyptian capital, adds: “I was younger and the pressure from within the country was intense.

“I’ve been getting calls from so many people trying to help. One of the board members told me that I’m now one of the most important people in the whole world.

“This situation changed me as a person.”

For the record, Salah recovered to play in two of his country’s three group matches, but was unable to prevent Egypt from exiting quickly after defeats to Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

“I want to tell you that Salah participated in every goal in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers,” says Mahmoud Fayez, the former Egypt national team assistant coach, at his home on the outskirts of Cairo.

Salah scored an exciting goal from a penalty kick in the 95th minute against Congo in Alexandria to secure a 2-1 victory and reserve Egypt’s place in the World Cup, with one match left in the qualifiers, for the first time in 28 years.

In an exciting match, Salah put Egypt ahead before Congo equalized three minutes before the end.

Fayez adds: “Do you know when you can listen to silence? I listened to silence when Congo scored – 75,000 fans and silence everywhere.”

Then came the penalty kick that turned Salah into a national hero.

“Imagine a nation of about 120 million people waiting for this moment to qualify,” Fayez says. “He faced the most difficult and difficult moment for a single player, a penalty kick in the 95th minute that Mohamed had to score.

“He scored the goal and he made us all proud. In the dressing room afterward he started dancing and hugging everyone and was shouting ‘We did it, we did it’. After 28 years, we did it.”

In Cairo, there is a football academy called “The Maker”, founded and run by former Tottenham and Egypt national team striker Mido, who hopes to graduate players who follow in Salah’s footsteps.

“I played for the national team in front of 110,000 spectators when I was only 17 years old, and I was the youngest player to represent Egypt,” Mido says. “I like to feel that people depend on me, and Salah is the same way.”

At the time of our visit, there was a classroom lesson for young players on the mindset required to become professionals at the highest level.

Under Salah’s name on the whiteboard, one of the coaches wrote: “Discipline, dedication and motivation.”

Mido adds: “The reason why Salah is where he is now is because he works on strengthening his mental strength every day.”

He added: “He is the greatest ambassador for Egypt and for African players as well. He made European clubs respect Arab players, and this is what Salah did.”

“I think a lot of European clubs now, when they see a young player from Egypt, they think of Salah. He makes our young players dream.”