The name Mohammed Salah is on the lips of almost every football lover and pundit as he has become the man of the moment.
In the world of football today, no one is playing as good as Mohammed Salah. Not even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He is playing so well that some people are already comparing him with Maradona.
Liverpool is a great club that has won five UEFA Champions League titles. However, since 2008, this is the first time they are in the semi-final of the competition. With the first leg ending 5-2 at Anfield against AS Roma, many believe that they will coast to the final.
Salah has been instrumental to Liverpool’s triumph this season. He is the highest goal scorer in the English Premier League with 31 goals in 33 matches. That is a record as he has become the first African in history to do so in England. He is also the first African player to win the PFA player of the year.
In the Champions League, he is also the first African player to score up to 10 goals. Before the semi-final, they played against the English champions, Manchester City, who have been in fine form under Pep Guardiola.
Many tipped City as the favourite, ignoring the wizardry of Salah. In that game, Salah was the difference. He scored a brace helping his team win 3-0. In the second leg at Etihad, he scored one and assisted another making that game end 2-1 and 5-1 on aggregate in favour of Liverpool.
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The world began taking him very serious. Against Roma, Salah singlehandedly did the job. He scored two and assisted two.
How did Salah’s remarkable journey to the top begin?
Mohammed Salah born June 1992 started his senior career with hometown club El Mokawloon in the Egyptian Premier League in 2010. Thereafter he joined 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’s performances drew the attention of Premier League side Chelsea, and the club subsequently signed for the team for a £11 million fee in 2014. Although he again tasted league glory in his debut season, he was not a regular at the club, and was allowed to leave on loan to Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Roma, with the latter eventually signing him permanently for €15 million.
Following consistent match-winning performances in Rome to lead them to second-placed finish and a record points-tally in 2017, Salah relocated back to the Premier League to sign for Liverpool for a then club-record fee of £36.9 million.
Salah at the international level has won a bronze medal for Egypt in the Africa under 20 Cup of Nations. In 2011, he participated in the FIFA under 20 World Cup and the 2011 Summer Olympics.
He is currently the African Footballer of the Year. Before now, he was awarded the CAF Most Promising Talent of the Year in 2012. He was runner-up with Egypt in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
The last time Egypt participated in the FIFA World Cup was in 1990 in Italy. Due to Salah’s brilliant form, Egypt qualified for the World Cup in Russia. They finished first ahead of a strong contender like Ghana. He was the highest goal scorer during the CAF qualification for the World Cup.
For his performances, Salah was named CAF African Footballer of the Year and the BBC African Footballer of the Year. He was also selected in the CAF Team of the Year and Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament.
Many are already tipping him to win the Ballon d’Or if Liverpool wins the Champions League and Egypt performs well in Russia.
