Salah has played for the senior national team for 14 years and his importance to Egypt is such that high-ranking government officials have been known to get involved when he has been injured.
“I even had calls from Egypt’s Minister of Health,” recalls Dr Mohamed Aboud, the national team’s medic, about the time Salah suffered a serious shoulder injury in Liverpool’s defeat to Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final, leading to speculation he could miss the World Cup in Russia a few weeks later.
“I told him not to panic, everything is going well.”
Speaking from his medical clinic in the Maadi area of Egypt’s capital, Dr Aboud adds: “I was younger and the pressure from inside the country was intense.
“I had calls from so many people trying to help. One of our board members told me I was now one of the most important people in the whole world.
“This situation changed me as a person.”
For the record, Salah did recover to play in two of his country’s three group games but was unable to prevent Egypt from making a quick exit after defeats to Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
“I need to tell you that Salah was involved in every single goal in our 2018 World Cup qualification campaign,” says former Egypt assistant coach Mahmoud Fayez at his home on the outskirts of Cairo.
Salah had scored a dramatic 95th-minute penalty against Congo in Alexandria to secure a 2-1 win and book Egypt’s place at the World Cup, with one qualifying game to spare, for the first time in 28 years.
In a nail-biting game, Salah put Egypt ahead before Congo equalised three minutes from time.
“Do you know when you can listen to silence? I listened to the silence when Congo scored – 75,000 fans and silence everywhere,” adds Fayez.
Then came the penalty that turned Salah into a national hero.
“Imagine it, a nation of nearly 120 million waiting for this moment to qualify,” says Fayez. “He had the toughest and most difficult moment for one player, a penalty in the 95th minute that Mohamed had to score.
“He scored it and he made us all proud. In the dressing room afterwards he started to dance, hug everyone and he was shouting ‘we did it, we did it’, after 28 years, we did it.”
In Cairo is a football academy called ‘The Maker’, founded and run by former Tottenham and Egypt striker Mido, who is hoping to produce players who will follow in Salah’s footsteps.
“I played for the national team in front of 110,000 people when I was only 17, the youngest player to represent Egypt,” Mido says. “I love to feel that people depend on me and Salah is the same.”
At the time of our visit, a classroom lesson for young players about the mindset required to become a top professional is taking place.
Underneath Salah’s name on a whiteboard, one of the coaches has written “discipline, dedication and motivation”.
“The reason Salah is where he is now is because he works on his mental strength daily,” Mido adds.
“He is the greatest ambassador for Egypt and for African players as well. He made European clubs respect Arab players, this is what Salah has done.
“I think a lot of European clubs now, when they see a young player from Egypt, they think of Salah. He has made our young players dream.”
