Mo Salah, 'The King of Egypt', Claims Victory for Liverpool
“R E D E E M E R” by I Manipulate is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
By: Mohamed Nada/Arab America Contributing Writer
Last Saturday, the man himself, Mo Salah, did the impossible. Salah helped Liverpool win the European Championship, bringing fans to their feet with joy and excitement. While Muslims have played for Liverpool in the past, none have come out on top and made the impact Mo Salah has had on his team.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates with the trophy after winning the Champions League Final. (Reuters)Mihir Vasavda, in his article for The Indian Express, recalls the chant heard across the stadium when Mo Salah plays:
“If he scores another few,
Then I’ll be Muslim too…
If he’s good enough for you,
He’s good enough for me,
Then sitting in a mosque, is where I wanna be
Mo Salah-la-la-la-lah! Mo Salah-la-la-la-lah!”
Vasavda further recognizes the role Salah plays when not helping his team win: “Salah’s impact is visible more beyond the field. In Egypt, for instance, the government got him to campaign against drug abuse among the youth. Salah’s cameo appearance in the video resulted in a 400 percent surge in calls to treatment centres, according to the country’s social solidarity ministry. During the presidential elections last March, more than 1 million Egyptians voted for Salah to become the country’s leader despite him not even contesting the polls.”
Ultimately, in the Egyptian community, he has earned praise for not only being one of their greatest soccer players but also for his hard work and determination in chasing his dreams of being the best.
Liverpool vs. Tottenham
Less than one minute into their match with Tottenham, Liverpool won a penalty kick. The man chosen to shoot the ball? Mo Salah of course. His goal secured Liverpool with a 1-0 lead and one step closer to the championship trophy.
Stadium in Madrid on Saturday, June 1, 2019. (Felipe Dana / AP) Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring his team’s opening goal during the Champions League final soccer match; a game between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano.In a Sportsnet article, writer John Molinaro describes Salah and his penalty: “Twenty-three seconds. That’s how quickly it fell apart for Tottenham on the night. After a quick start by Liverpool, Sadio Mane received the ball down the left flank and his shot was adjudged to have been handled by Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko.”
Molinaro also goes on to express the remarkable actions of Mo Salah, who “became only the fifth African player to score in a Champions League/European Cup final. Salah’s opener at 1:48 of the match was the second-fastest goal in a Champions League final, behind only AC Milan’s Paolo Maldni who scored at the 50-second mark against Liverpool in 2005. It was sweet redemption for Salah, after he was forced to be subbed out of last year’s final with a shoulder injury, a game the Reds eventually lost to Real Madrid.”
Read more on https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions-league-review-liverpool-crowned-kings-europe/
The Future of Liverpool and Mo Salah?
So what’s next for Liverpool? After claiming a 2-0 victory and winning the Championship, celebrating such a victory is a given. Despite the success of the team, however, there has been talk of Mo Salah considering to leave Liverpool and continue his career with Real Madrid. After the match against Tottenham, Mo Salah must think long and hard about remaining with Liverpool, especially after all he has done for the team.
Should he choose to leave, it is likely that most of the fan base for Liverpool will follow him wherever he decides to play. This goes to show how much he has impacted soccer fans around him and made Egypt proud. No matter what team he plays for, Mo Salah is sure to have many supporters eager to watch his greatness unfold.
Check out Arab America’s blog here!