“Work so hard until you no longer have to introduce yourself.”
Mohamed Salah is someone who needs no introduction. A young boy from Egypt’s Basyoun in the City of Gharbeya once had a dream of playing football professionally alongside the likes of Egyptian legends Mohamed Abou Treika and Hazem Emam, posting photos on his bedroom wall and owning jerseys of famous European players.
No one had imagined that Salah would be where he is now, not even Salah himself. He never thought that one day he’d be playing street football in his neighborhood and another day he’d be playing with Italian legend Francesko Tottie in Italian giant AS Roma.
Starting as an 18-year old fella in Arab Contarctors Club (El Mokaweloon El Arab), Salah introduced himself to Egyptians by scoring his first goal ever against Cairo and African giants Al Ahli on Dec. 25, 2010. The winger kept shining for his side for two years, scoring 11 goals in his 41 appearances, until the cancellation of the 2011/2012 football season after the tragic Portsaid massacre.
This isn’t a well known event, but before the cancellation, Egyptian White Knights, Zamalek SC, were considering buying Salah, but they decided against it because “he wasn’t good enough to play for Zamalek,” according to the Zamalek club president at the time.
Imagine being rejected by one of Egypt’s biggest football figures. Any other player would’ve let something like that bring him down, but not Salah. His efforts didn’t go to waste and he was rewarded with a loan offer from Basel FC, who had been scouting him for a while.
After a successful loan season with Basel, the Swiss club decided to buy Salah and again he continued his powerful form as he scored seven goals in 47 matches and played in the Europa and Champions Leagues, knocking out English clubs Tottenham Hotspur and scoring twice against Chelsea, proving his 1.9 million British pound price tag. Those two goals were more than enough for him to catch the attention of European giants.
At just 22 years old, Salah headlined international football media, with clubs from all over Europe trying to sign the prodigy. After being dismissed by Zamalek’s president in the beginning of his career, Liverpool, one of Europe’s richest clubs in history, and English champions Chelsea FC went head to head for Salah’s signature, which ended with the blues signing him for 11 million British pounds, making him the most expensive Egyptian player of all time.
The Pharaoh’s spell at Chelsea wasn’t very lucky, however, as he played 13 matches and scored just two goals in his one season with the blues. Supporters are quick to point out that he never gave less than 100% and that his lack of game time was due to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s stubborness. Nevertheless, all eyes were still on the Egyptian as the likes of Italy’s Fiorentina and Roma aproached him.
Mourinho then loaned Salah to Italian club Fiorentina, a great move for the Egyptian. Salah boomed in Italy with the Violas singing his name and shouting chants about him, playing Europe’s most glorious clubs like AC Milan and AS Roma and Juventus. After his successful loan at Fiorentina, AS Roma challenged the Violas for his signature, but Il Gellarosie came out on top and landed the Egyptian in 2015.
After starting in Egypt’s Arab Contractors and being labeled as not good enough, Mohamed Salah’s determination and hard work led him to glory and success with his teams in Europe. In his career thus far, he has achieved the honor of playing against some of the world’s greatest players currently and maybe in history, from Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo, as Roma faced Barcelona in the group stages and Real Madrid in the Round of 16 in the 2015/2016 UEFA Champions League season.
It’s remarkable to look back on what Salah has accomplished at such a young age. With the support of nations behind him, he continues to set an example for boys and girls hungry for worthy icons. And we can’t wait to see what he’ll do next.
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