Inside track on Egyptian Mohamed Salah and how Liverpool’s new hero is changing lives
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah could never be accused of forgetting his roots. The mayor of Nagrig, the village in Egypt’s Gharbiya province where Salah grew up, has revealed the extent to which the 25-year-old is giving back to his community.
Maher Shetia said: “Salah highlighted his small village on the international map. He also built a charity and will build a school that costs millions.
“This is in addition to his donations to Basioun hospital with a complete ventilation room, incubations and an ambulance unit.”
After Salah’s ice-cool penalty earlier this month sealed Egypt’s place at the 2018 World Cup, the governor of Gharbiya renamed Salah’s former school in Basioun ‘Mohamed Salah Industrial High School’.
A rich businessman offered Salah a luxury villa as a token of his appreciation for his heroics against Congo, but the player asked him to make a donation to his home village instead.
Family and friends of the former Chelsea wideman have been speaking to China’s Xinhua News Agency about Salah’s childhood in Nagrig. His father Salah Ghaly was key to helping him on the road to stardom.
Salah was snapped up by El Mokawloon in Cairo as a teenager and it was there that his performances attracted the attention of Swiss club Basel, who brought him to Europe in 2012.
“His soccer talent appeared when he was young, so his father adopted it, took care of him, paid for his trips to other clubs outside the district until Salah rose as a star,” said his uncle Zaki Abdel-Fattah Ghali.
“Salah has a strong will and his mind is faster than his feet.”
His cousin Abadah Saeed Ghali says fame hasn’t changed Salah, who has plundered nine goals for Liverpool since his club record £36.9million summer move from Roma.
“Salah comes to the village when possible and walks among the people and takes photos with them so modestly,” he said.
“All Egyptians, not only those of Nagrig or Gharbiya province, are proud of him.”
Karim Saber, a 15-year-boy with Salah’s name on the back of his shirt, backed that up as he added: “We all adore Mohamed Salah.
“I met Salah here before and took a picture with him near my school. He is so modest and respectful and he socialises with us as an ordinary person despite his fame.
“For us, Salah is a role model and we like to imitate his skills when we play football.”
Reda Masoud was Salah’s PE teacher at Nagrig Elementary School and always believed he was a special talent.
“He won two tournaments with our school soccer team at the level of the province. He drew attention due to his distinguished talent as well as skillfulness, speed and good manners,” he said.
The knock-on effect of Salah’s success is that parents in rural villages like Nagrig now pay much more attention to football and helping their children maximise their potential.
“My son watches no TV channels but football,” said Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, whose 10-year-old is a trainee at the Reda Zerir Academy. Salah in his inspiration.
Source: Liverpool Echo
