Dubbed the “Egyptian King”, Mohamed Salah is undoubtedly the biggest sporting figure in his homeland, Egypt.
However, for Salah to reach the zenith of his career wasn’t smooth sailing.
As a teenager playing for Arab Contractors in Cairo, Salah had to take multiple buses, travelling four-and-a-half hours each way from his village in Nagrig to training.
Salah began his senior career at less-fancied Egyptian topflight side Al-Mokawloon in 2010, before leaving for Swiss Super League side FC Basel two years later.
Salah would win two Swiss Super League titles with Basel, before being signed by English giants Chelsea for a reported fee of £11m (R245m) in 2014.
Game-time struggles at Chelsea led to two loans to Italian sides Fiorentina and Roma, who later signed him permanently for €15m (R289m).
In the 2016/17 season, Salah played a key role in Italy’s Serie A league, helping Roma finish as runners-up to Juventus, who won the title by just two points.
At the end of that season, Liverpool bought the Egyptian King for £36.9m (R823m), a club record at the time.
In his first season at Anfield, he set the record for most Premier League goals scored (32) in a 38-game season.
Salah went on to be an integral player in the club’s Champions League and Premier League title successes in the following two seasons.
At Liverpool he has also won the FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
In the 2024/25 season, he won a second league title while breaking the record for the most goal contributions in a 38-game Premier League campaign.
Salah’s other individual accolades include three FWA Footballer of the Year awards, four Premier League Golden Boots, two Premier League Player of the Season awards, two Premier League Playmaker of the Season awards, finishing third for the Best Fifa Men’s Player in 2018 and 2021, and fourth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Having somewhat struggled to reproduce his Liverpool heroics for his national team, all eyes will again be on Salah at this winter’s World Cup as Egypt will rely on him for inspiration.
They are in Group G with Belgium, Iran and New Zealand.
Salah has, for the longest of time, been a shadow of his Liverpool self whenever he dons the Pharaohs’ shirt.
And the upcoming World Cup, to be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada, presents the outgoing Liverpool ace a perfect chance to mend his national team legacy, especially because this might be his Egypt swansong, given his age and recent battles with injuries.
Salah is also chasing the Egypt all-time goal-scorer record, having scored 67 times for his national team, second behind record-holder Hossam Hassan, who scored two more than Salah’s current tally.
**Age:** 33
**Club:** Liverpool
**Previous Clubs:** Al-Mokawloon, Basel, Chelsea, Fiorentina, Roma
**Previous World Cups:** one
**International Caps:** 115 (67)
**Club Honours:**
**Basel:** 2 league titles (2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons)
**Chelsea:** 1 Carabao Cup (2014/15)
**Liverpool:** 2 Premier Leagues (2019/20, 2024/25); 1 UEFA Champions League (2018/19); 1 FA Cup (2021/22); 2 Carabao Cup (2021/22, 2023/24); 1 Fifa Club World Cup (2019); 1 UEFA Super Cup (2019); 1 FA Community Shield (2022)
**TimesLIVE**