Mo Salah: The Egyptian hero

Before Mo Salah joined Liverpool for a €42m transfer fee, the Kops were in stuck in a rut of mediocrity, scraping by wins and draws that didn't seem to matter anymore. When Jurgen Klopp unveiled the Egyptian to the world as a Liverpool player, the former truly seemed to believe that he was the key to their escape from the loop they were jammed in. And to his credit, Klopp was more than right. What Klopp has successfully done is get another player that is so typical to fit into the system that he has created at Liverpool that Salah now becomes almost too perfect for the Merseyside team.

When Salah's transfer fees was announced, many were quick to jump to the conclusion that like last time, Mo Salah would crash and burn within the fire that the Premier League has become over the few years. They weren't right but they were not wrong to assume that the time that Salah spent at Chelsea a few years back which was his first stint at PL would reflect at his present scenario. For the Egyptian, the timing was just not right and though that does not seem like an excuse that a footballer can legitimately use, it was true. This was not the first that Jose Mourinho or Chelsea FC in itself failed to develop a talent; remember Kevin De Bruyne? Long and short, Salah was not given a fair chance at Chelsea by any means and had he been given a chance to prove his worth, then who knows, maybe Mourinho would still sing the songs with the London Blues.

It was not Salah's fault he failed at Chelsea and it is to only his credit that he is flourishing at Liverpool. Liverpool fans were encouraged by watching highlights of his performance at Roma and though Roma is a top ticket club, Serie A is not watched by a lot of English fans so Salah remained a talent untouched and unexploited by English means. Critics came and went their ways when they saw just how brilliantly Salah has adapted himself into the Liverpool system and that doesn't come across as a surprise as Liverpool's passion and traditions may remind him of the ones he follows back home.

In 20 appearances for the Kops, he has had 18 goals and 6 assists with each of his performances getting better than the previous one. From playing for a local Egyptian contractor club El Mokawloon to playing at Anfield and scoring the winning goal that took his country to the World Cup, Mo Salah has risen like the phoenix and he doesn't seem to want to stop. Salah has risen from humble roots, a testament to his character and personality, through all the fame and stardom, he has remained grounded.

In the last few years, Egypt has seen days they would rather not talk about. They have gone through years of political turmoil and violence that still continues to haunt them. Amidst the state sanctioned civilian deaths and the war that might be waged upon Sudan – Egypt finds peace in the fact that they have finally qualified for FIFA World Cup 2018 thanks to one Mohamed Salah. In a football-mad country, Salah has become a god to the millions of people who have had the dream of watching their country sing their national anthem at a World Cup event.

Egypt hadn't qualified since 1990, almost 30 years and when Mo Salah scored the penalty that was deep into injury time – he knew that his national worth had just shot up by almost 100 levels. His powerful left footed penalty that hit the right side of the net, both literally and figuratively ensured that thousands of fans back home would come down to the streets to celebrate their hard earned victory. The name that he has gotten by fans 'Egyptian Messi' now holds extremely true for the player, he has become an idol, an inspiration for children across the globe but more so for his own country.