News Focus
- Liverpool icon departs Anfield after scoring 257 goals during an eight-year spell
- Childhood mentor recalls extraordinary skills of seven-year-old Salah in rural Nagrig village
- Egyptian superstar prepares for 2026 World Cup campaign following emotional Premier League exit
- Former coach describes gruelling daily bus journeys teenage Salah endured to attend training
“When I walk through these gates, I instantly remember how he moved and controlled the ball. It was truly special.”
Ghamry Abd El-Hamid El-Saadany pushes open the new dark green gates of the youth centre in Nagrig. This small farming settlement sits roughly three hours north of Cairo. It marks the starting point for one of modern football’s most lethal attackers.
Young Mohamed first kicked a ball on these dusty streets at age seven. He would imitate Brazilian icon Ronaldo, French genius Zinedine Zidane, or Italian master Francesco Totti during games with local friends.
“He was smaller than the other boys, yet he produced skills that even older children could not execute,” explains El-Saadany while pointing to the artificial pitch that now carries Salah’s name. “His strikes possessed tremendous power. You could see his determination immediately.”
Now aged 33, the forward has departed Liverpool after netting an incredible 257 goals since his 2017 arrival. He seeks a fresh challenge away from Anfield.
As Egypt’s first truly global football icon, Salah captured every domestic trophy plus the Champions League with the Reds. However, international glory with his homeland remains elusive.
With the 2026 World Cup approaching, supporters across this football-obsessed nation of 115 million people reflect on his journey from poverty to prominence.
“Watching Salah reminds me of my father’s happiness,” shares Lamisse El-Sadek at the Dentists Cafe in eastern Cairo. “After he joined Liverpool, my father and I watched every match together on television.”
The cafe, named after its founder’s original trade, serves as a meeting place for Liverpool supporters who gather to view games on giant screens.
Lamisse wears a Liverpool jersey bearing her father’s name. “He died two years ago,” she notes quietly. “Those two hours during Liverpool matches brought our family the greatest joy each week. Even when school or work forced me to miss portions, my father sent me text updates minute-by-minute.”
She adds: “Salah did not emerge from privilege. He worked extremely hard and sacrificed tremendously to achieve his position. Many Egyptians see their own struggles reflected in his story.”
Nestled within the Nile Delta, Nagrig remains a modest agricultural settlement surrounded by green fields cultivating jasmine and watermelons. Cattle, water buffaloes and donkeys share unpaved roads with cars, motorbikes and horse-drawn carts.
This humble setting produced the player affectionately known as the “Egyptian King.”
“Salah’s family forms the bedrock of his achievement,” states El-Saadany, who claims to be the player’s first formal coach after discovering him at eight years old. “They continue living here with modesty, strong values and respect. This explains why locals adore them.”
The youth facility recently underwent significant renovation to honour its most celebrated former resident. The pristine green surface rivals professional training facilities.
“His relatives made enormous sacrifices during his youth,” El-Saadany continues, standing beside a massive photograph displaying Salah holding the Champions League trophy. “They provided unwavering support from day one, particularly his father and uncle, who currently chairs this centre.”
Salah’s influence permeates Nagrig. Children sprint through alleyways wearing Liverpool and Egypt kits emblazoned with his name and number. A mural decorates the exterior of his former school, while auto-rickshaws bear large stickers showing his smiling face.
At the village barbershop, Ahmed El Masri recalls trimming the teenage footballer’s hair following training sessions.
“I created that curly hairstyle and beard for him,” the barber insists. “His friends warned him against visiting a village hairdresser instead of a city salon, yet he always returned to me. The following day, his friends would ask surprised questions about who styled him.”
El Masri remembers watching Salah’s abilities at the youth centre and on local streets.
“What stands out most is that when we played video games, Salah always selected Liverpool,” he recalls. “Other boys picked Manchester United or Barcelona, but he consistently chose the Reds. Now every youngster in this village wants to follow his path.”
Salah’s formal development included six years with Cairo club Arab Contractors, also called Al Mokawloon. He enrolled aged 14, launching a legendary commute that required leaving school early for lengthy daily journeys.
Passengers aboard a cramped Suzuki van near Nagrig’s edge grow restless. “Are they boarding or not?” someone demands.
This shared taxi service operates without fixed schedules. The driver simply waits until every seat fills.
As a teenager, Salah began his arduous trek to Arab Contractors training at this exact bus stop.
“The journey was difficult and costly,” El-Saadany confirms. “He travelled independently most days. Imagine a child departing at ten in the morning and arriving home at midnight. Such travel demanded tremendous strength and clear purpose.”
The route proceeds to Basyoun city, then transfers to Tanta, followed by another change at Ramses bus station in Cairo, before a final connection to the training ground. Evening sessions meant repeating the exhausting return trip.
White minibuses dominate Cairo’s streets around the clock, transporting millions of residents.
“These vehicles carry approximately eighty percent of commuters in this city of ten million inhabitants,” explains Egyptian journalist Wael El-Sayed. “Thousands operate continuously.”
Even the brief trip to Basyoun proves uncomfortable in sweltering heat at the rear of these vehicles. The complete journey several times weekly must have tested the teenage athlete’s resolve severely.
Hany Ramzy, who awarded Salah his first international cap, believes these hardships forged the mental toughness required for elite success.
“Beginning a football career in Egypt presents enormous challenges,” states Ramzy, who represented Egypt against England at the 1990 World Cup and spent eleven years in Germany’s Bundesliga. He handed Salah his senior debut in October 2011 as interim national team manager, and later coached him at the London 2012 Olympics.
“I also rode buses and walked five or six kilometres to reach Al Ahly as a boy,” Ramzy adds. “My father could not afford football boots for me. Salah faced similar obstacles.”