Mohamed Salah (Part 2)

Ahead of the 2013–14 Swiss Super League season, Salah played a pivotal role in Basel's triumph at the 2013 Uhrencup. He kicked off the league season with a goal against Aarau on 13 July 2013, showcasing his scoring prowess. In the Champions League third qualifying round on 6 August 2013, Salah netted his first goal in the competition against Maccabi Tel Aviv. However, his actions following the matches against Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv stirred controversy as he appeared to intentionally avoid shaking hands with their players in both legs of the tie.


Salah continued his impressive form with a brace against PFC Ludogorets Razgrad in the play-off round on 21 August 2013. Notably, on 18 September 2013, he scored the equalizer in Basel's 2–1 away win against Chelsea during the group stage. In the return match on 26 November at St. Jakob-Park, Salah scored the winning goal as Basel secured a 1–0 home win against Chelsea. Despite these individual successes, Basel was eliminated in the group stage.
On the domestic front, Salah excelled, contributing four goals in 18 games, including a crucial brace against title rivals Young Boys. His performances played a crucial role in Basel securing their fifth consecutive league title.


Salah's time with Basel came to an end on 23 January 2014, marking the conclusion of an impactful chapter. During his tenure, he participated in a total of 95 games for Basel, scoring 21 goals. This included 47 appearances in the Swiss Super League, six in the Swiss Cup, 26 in UEFA competitions (Champions League and Europa League), and 16 in friendly matches. Salah's contributions encompassed nine goals in the domestic league, four in the cup, seven in European competitions, and one in test games.


On 23 January 2014, Chelsea, a Premier League club, announced that they had reached an agreement with Basel to acquire Salah for a reported fee of around £11 million The transfer was completed three days later, making him the first Egyptian player to join the London-based club. Despite Liverpool's interest and an £11 million offer, Chelsea secured Salah's signature.Making his Chelsea debut on 8 February in the Premier League, Salah came on as a substitute in a 3–0 victory against Newcastle United. In his seventh appearance for Chelsea on 22 March, he scored his first goal in a London Derby against Arsenal, entering as a substitute for Oscar in a 6–0 home win. On 5 April, Salah played a crucial role in Chelsea's 3–0 win over Stoke City, opening the scoring, winning a penalty, and assisting the third goal.


On 6 August 2015, Salah embarked on a new chapter in his career by joining Roma on a season-long loan for €5 million, with an option to make the deal permanent for a reported €15 million.Wearing the number 11 shirt, he made his debut on 22 August in a 1–1 draw against Hellas Verona as the new season kicked off. Salah showcased his goal-scoring prowess on 20 September by netting his first goal of the season against Sassuolo, securing a 2–2 draw for Roma.


Salah's goal-scoring spree continued with strikes in consecutive matches against Sampdoria and Carpi, demonstrating his impact on the pitch. On 25 October, he scored the opening goal against his former club Fiorentina in a 2–1 away victory, contributing to Roma's fourth straight league win. However, Salah's return to Florence was marred by a red card in the closing minutes of the match, receiving a second yellow just seconds after his first. On 4 November, he notched the opening goal in a 3–2 Champions League triumph over Bayer Leverkusen.


In a memorable clash against Fiorentina on 4 March, Salah faced his former side once again, scoring a double as Roma secured a convincing 4–1 victory and broke into the top three.Salah continued his scoring form with three more goals against Bologna, Genoa, and AC Milan, the latter on the final day of the season.Throughout the 2015–16 season, Salah amassed 15 goals in 42 matches, contributing to Roma's third-place finish in Serie A and qualification for the Champions League. His outstanding performances earned him Roma's 2015–16 Player of the Season award, announced in June.


On 2 July 2018, Salah reaffirmed his commitment to Liverpool by signing a new long-term contract, a move praised by manager Jürgen Klopp as a statement of the club's elevated status in the football world. Kicking off the 2018-2019 season on 12 August, Salah scored Liverpool's first goal in a convincing 4-0 home win against West Ham United.His stellar performances earned him recognition, being named on the shortlist for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year, and the UEFA Forward of the Season on 30 August. Salah also found himself on the shortlist for the Best FIFA Men's Player on 3 September.


In a controversial turn of events, Salah received the 2018 FIFA Puskás Award for goal of the year, winning for his memorable strike in the first Merseyside derby at Anfield. The decision sparked online protests against the outcome. On 24 October, Salah reached a significant milestone by scoring twice against Red Star Belgrade in the 2018–19 Champions League group stage, marking his 50th goal for Liverpool in just 65 games—a record as the fastest player in the club's history to achieve this feat.


On 3 December, Salah claimed the sixth position at the 2018 Ballon d'Or ceremony, recognizing his outstanding performances for both club and country throughout the year. Demonstrating his prowess, Salah scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 away win over Bournemouth on 8 December, propelling Liverpool to the top of the league table. Three days later, he secured a 1–0 win over Napoli with the winning goal in the Champions League group stage, guiding Liverpool to the round of sixteen.

References

1.  "Mohamed Salah, The 'Fourth Pyramid of Egypt'". Scorum. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
2. ^ "Egypt's 'fourth pyramid' Mohamed Salah: 'He is one of us'". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
3. ^ "Pride of the Arabs: Mo, morality, and memes". Mada Masr. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
4. ^ "Mo Salah and Aboutrika Spark a Debate About Religion". New Lines Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
5. ^ Faraj, Abdel Fattah; Al-Awsat, Asharq (4 March 2018). "The inspiring story of Egypt and Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah". Arab News. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
6. a b Carroll, James (18 December 2017). "Mohamed Salah: In the beginning…". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
7. a b Ayyagari, Saketh (23 April 2018). "Mohamed Salah: How a boy from Egypt is now the King of Liverpool". Sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
8. a b Aarons, Ed (31 May 2020). "How Mohamed Salah became the pride of Egypt and Liverpool's golden star". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
9. ^ Abdelrahman, Mahmoud (3 January 2019). "Inside Salah's first club: A debut at 15, half-time tears & three-hour journeys to training". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
10. ^ "Al Ahly 1–1 Al Mokawloon Al Arab – Premier League 2010/2011 Live". WhoScored.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
11. ^ "Mohamed Salah: Club matches: Premiership". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
12. ^ "Egypt: Premiership 2011/2012: 19. Round". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
13. ^ "Egypt's Premier League cancelled". BBC Sport. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
14. ^ Pearce, James (27 December 2017). "Former Basel sporting director Georg Heitz planning Mo Salah reunion". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
15. ^ Rogers, Paul (6 August 2015). "11 Things You Need to Know About Mohamed Salah". AS Roma. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
16. ^ Marti, Caspar (16 March 2012). "Cheerful test match against Egypt's Olympics selection ends 3:4 (Translation)" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
17. ^ Küng, Georges (10 April 2012). "FC Basel commit to young Egyptian star Mohamed Salah (Translation)". Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
18. ^ El Rasoul, Ahmed Abd (2012). "Egypt rising star Salah officially joins FC Basel". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2012.