“He is our immortal Egyptian legend; he is the Egyptian king who is crowned in our hearts and minds!”
This flowery, though a little dramatic, praise for Mohamed Salah came from popular Egyptian talk show host and bestselling author Ibrahim Issa, delivered in a televised monologue in support of the footballer whose future at Liverpool is hanging in the balance.
“Mohamed Salah is the role model every Egyptian must follow in his footsteps … We tell Mohamed Salah 'you will never walk alone. Glory will accompany you in every step',” said Mr Issa, who spoke while clutching Salah's Liverpool number 11 shirt.
Salah's battle of wills with Liverpool has hit headlines around the world since the prolific winger decided to air his frustration last week after being benched in the last three Liverpool fixtures and coming on only once. He was dropped from the squad that travelled to Italy on Tuesday for a Champions League match against Inter Milan.
Mr Issa's sentiments about Salah are not uncommon in Egypt, a country of 108 million that has for more than a decade shown love and reverence for the player who took the Premier League by storm when he moved to Liverpool in 2017.
Salah training with his Liverpool team-mates on Tuesday. AFP
To his millions of fans in Egypt, Salah could do no wrong on and off the pitch, filling their hearts with joy and pride.
So, it's not at all surprising that they took his side when he publicly berated the club and his manager, Dutchman Arne Slot, on Saturday.
Liverpool have struggled in their title defence this season and lie 10th after 15 games, 10 points behind leaders Arsenal. Salah has also struggled, with just four goals in 13 top-flight appearances.
After twice surrenderin
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