BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Mo Salah: The 'Egyptian king' inspiring the Arab world

  • Published
    23 April 2018
Share page
About sharing
Mohamed SalahImage source, Getty Images
ByChris Bell and Rana Taha
BBC UGC & Social News and BBC Monitoring

Social media users in Egypt have reacted with pride as Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah became the first Egyptian footballer to be named the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year.

He is only the second African footballer to win the award, after Leicester City's Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez in 2016.

Salah, 25, has scored a 31 Premier League goals this season this season (equalling the 38-game-season record held by Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alan Shearer) with three league games still remaining.

  • Mohamed Salah: Liverpool forward voted PFA Player of the Year

In Egypt, his triumph was front page news and the hashtag "the legend Mohamed Salah" has been shared more than 25,000 times since the announcement as compatriots paid tribute to the player Liverpool fans christened the 'Egyptian king', external.

Egyptian actress Rasha Mahdi was among many to tweet an image of Salah as a pharaoh.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by رشا مهدي Rasha Mahdi

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by رشا مهدي Rasha Mahdi

Salah is a national icon in Egypt. Last year, the footballer's 95th-minute penalty against Congo secured a 2-1 victory which saw the Egyptian national team qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1990.

Streets have been named in his honour, as well as a school in the city of Basyoun, while in January the footballer was received by Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

President al-Sisi was first elected president in May 2014, close to a year after he removed his elected predecessor, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi, in a coup. The Muslim Brotherhood is now banned in Egypt.

But political groups on both sides were among those to offer their congratulations. Pro-state figures and Muslim Brotherhood supporters alike were quick to signal their support.

Haytham Abokhalil, a pro-Muslim Brotherhood human rights activist, said, external Salah's award "gives confidence to our youth that it can be the best if it has the appropriate possibilities and opportunities".

To those sharing images of Salah's meeting with the Egyptian president, he said: "whoever publishes photos of Sisi with captain Salah are a minority who wish to remain in the sick ward".

Several official state bodies have issued statements congratulating Salah. A foreign ministry spokesman said that Salah was "a source of national pride and happiness," and "a true inspiration to the youth of Egypt and Africa".

You might also like:

  • Internet confusion after Egypt footballer wins Africa award

  • Egyptians gear up for Ramadan with Mo Salah lanterns

  • Saudi footballer in trouble for dabbing

Paying tribute to Salah as "the source of happiness for millions of Egyptians", the chairman of Egyptian Premier League side Zamalek, Mortada Mansour, noted, external that one of his predecessors had rejected the chance to sign the player in 2011.

Political activist Mahmoud Mohamed said the struggles Salah faced early in his career demonstrated his resolve.

"Mohamed [Salah] resisted and struggled," he tweeted. "He had one and two setbacks and did not give up. He has achieved the dream."

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by بتاع التيشرت

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by بتاع التيشرت

The footballer's success has resonated in other parts of the Middle East and Africa, where his name has also been trending online. Many Twitter users saw the award as a source of pride not just for Egypt but for the entire Arab world.

Saudi social media user Tariq al-Nofai shared a video interview with Salah, filmed when he was playing for Swiss side Basel.

"An interview which brings hope to the weary and those whose dreams are bigger than reality," he tweeted.

Lebanese singer Yara shared a photo of Salah carrying the award, external, saying "congratulations to Egypt and all Arabs".

Salah said he was "happy and proud" to win the award. "It's an honour and especially as it's voted by the players," he added.

More on this story

  • Salah named PFA Player of the Year

    • Attribution
      Sport
    • Published
      23 April 2018
    Mohamed Salah
  • Salah - modest, determined, 'a gift that keeps on giving'

    • Attribution
      Sport
    • Published
      8 February 2018
  • 'A fantastic prize for a pretty good player' - Klopp teases AFOTY winner Salah. Video, 00:02:55'A fantastic prize for a pretty good player' - Klopp teases AFOTY winner Salah

    • Attribution
      Sport
    • Published
      11 December 2017
    2:55
    Mo Salah AFOTY 2017

Top stories

  • Live. 

    New digital IDs will make it tougher to work in UK illegally, says Starmer

    • 8908 viewing8.9k viewing
  • Chris Mason: Starmer's irritation with Burnham shows as he seeks to tackle critics

    • Published
      3 hours ago
  • 'I've got to get out of here': Antisocial acts leave locals living in fear

    • Published
      3 hours ago

More to explore

  • Weekly quiz: Why did Dani Dyer pull out of Strictly?

    TV personality Dani Dyer photographed on the red carpet at an event. She is wearing a black halter neck dress and her hair is tied up. Other attendees can be seen behind her.
  • Ratmageddon: Why rats are overrunning our cities

    A treated image of a rat
  • 'The Trump effect' and four other factors that may decide the Ryder Cup

    • Attribution
      Sport
    Bradley and Donald with Ryder Cup trophy
  • 'Show us your (digital) papers' and 'Blair ready to run Gaza'

    A composite image of The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph. The headline of the former reads "show us your (digital papers)" while a headline on the latter reads "Blair ready to lead interim government of Gaza after war ends."
  • Chris Mason: Starmer's irritation with Burnham shows as he seeks to tackle critics

    Two men dressed in suits - Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on the left with Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, on the right, stand together in a room at Downing Street on 9 July 2024 in London, England
  • 'I've got to get out of here': Antisocial acts leave locals living in fear

    On the left a woman looks out her window through the blinds, on the right a man climbs scaffolding in a hoodie
  • Comey indictment escalates Trump's promise of political retribution

    President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with James Comey, then-director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the White House on 22 January, 2017.
  • How US megastar Luke Combs helped Britain fall in love with country music

    In this image released on June 10th, 2021, Luke Combs poses on set for the 2021 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee. He is dressed in black with a baseball cap and is overlooking a busy street.
  • Stray Kids downplay global fame: 'Success is a strong word'

    Stray Kids members I.N, Felix and Bang Chan celebrate the launch of their fourth full-length album, Karma, at a press conference in Seoul, August 2025
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Tony Blair in discussions to run transitional Gaza authority

  2. 2

    Former FBI director James Comey indicted on two charges

  3. 3

    Ratmageddon: Why rats are overrunning our cities

  4. 4

    'Show us your (digital) papers' and 'Blair ready to run Gaza'

  5. 5

    Chris Mason: Starmer's irritation with Burnham shows as he seeks to tackle critics

  6. 6

    No 'pensioner deportations' under Reform, says Kruger

  7. 7

    Glasgow's Argyle Street Ash wins Tree of the Year title

  8. 8

    Samaritans facing volunteer exodus over proposed branch closures

  9. 9

    Weekly quiz: Why did Dani Dyer pull out of Strictly?

  10. 10

    IOPC staff 'removed from Calocane investigation'

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Zara McDermott explores the dark side of Thailand

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise
  • An exclusive look at an epic Iron Maiden tour

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Iron Maiden: Flight 666 has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Iron Maiden: Flight 666
  • Follow detectives hunting for a drugs kingpin

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    On The Front Line has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    On the Front Line: Catching A Crime Boss
  • The rise and fall London's most legendary gangsters

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Legend has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Legend
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.