How A Poor African Reject Became A Football Superstar

How does a kid born into a poor country that literally cancelled football escape that life to somehow play football professionally? But then how does that kid get rejected from his club being deemed not good enough only to become the best player in that country just three years later? But even more than just that, how does he rise to the top of European football to getting targeted and injured in the final to then come back one year later and claim the award as his own? Mohamed Salah has been through rejection after rejection and setback after setback, but yet he's going down as one of the greatest football players of all time. But how did he do it? How did this poor Egyptian kid defeat all the odds and become a football superstar? This is the full story of Mohamed Salah. Mohamed Salah was born on June 15th, 1992 to middle-class parents in an Egyptian village north of Cairo called Neguig, where he grew up surrounded by a love for football rather than academics, having been thrown into the sport from a young age and having the likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Francesco Totti and Zinedine Zidane as his childhood idols. By only the age of 7, his talent already began to shine through as he would play street football with his brother against older and stronger opponents and eventually catch the eye of local football teams. At just 14 years old, Salah's talent on the pitch caught the attention of a scout from Al Mokhwaloun, a team in Cairo competing in the Egyptian Premier League, and soon enough he found himself at a top academy and well on his way to professional football over in Egypt. But the issue for Mohamed was living in Neguig was far from easy as he had to continuously miss school, having to travel 4 hours a day using several different buses just to make it to training. Thankfully, the risks he took and the hours of work he put in would soon pay off, as at just the age of 15, he started to impress the first-team manager, Mohamed Radwan, who had made the bold decision of moving him to the first-team squad. But at this point, Salah was small, weak and skinny, which meant despite his talent on the ball, he would struggle to compete physically, so he had to be given a special diet and training program which, based on his physique to date, surely has paid off. But let's not rush. At age 17, Salah's big moment finally came because on the 3rd of May 2010, he made his first team debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Al Mansoura, and during the 2010-2011 season, he started earning more and more minutes, eventually becoming a regular in the starting lineup. But despite all the game time, he kept struggling to find the back of the net, and it even frustrated him to the point where he would sometimes sit in the dressing room in tears after matches. But instead of breaking him, it fired him up to keep improving. And with that, his first goal finally came on December 25th, 2010, and what a way to announce himself as he burst forward with his lightning pace, leaving defenders chasing shadows and smashed the ball past the keeper with a low, thunderous strike that slipped right under him. And little did anyone know that this move wasn't just a one-off, it was the start of something special, a glimpse of the signature goal that would become his trademark, the kind of finish fans would come to expect every time he got the ball. Following this match, Salah was locked in as a key player for Al Mokoualoum, appearing in every single game of the 2011-2012 season and proving he was more than ready for any challenge ahead. But right as the future began to shine so bright, Egypt entered one of the worst periods in the country's history with a revolution erupting, toppling President Hosni Mubarak and plunging the country into political and economic instability, with football caught in the crossfire of this disaster as stadiums became battlegrounds for protest and expression. And soon enough, tragedy struck on February 1st, 2012, when the Port Said Stadium riots broke out during a match between Al-Masri and Al-Ali, resulting in the deaths of 74 people and hundreds injured. A tragedy so brutal and unfair which shocked the nation and led the Egyptian Football Association to cancel the remainder of the season, leaving players like Salah in the dark with no domestic league to compete in and no clear path forward in their careers. But despite this unforeseen and unlucky challenge, Salah remained focused on his main goal of becoming a professional footballer. And luckily enough, the talent he expressed in the domestic league did not go unnoticed as he was called up to the Olympic national team for Egypt. And this would prove to be the turning point he desperately needed because the Egyptian national team ended up organizing a friendly against FC Basel, where Salah came on as a sub in the second half and scored two goals. And it was this performance that truly impressed Basel's president who said, He only played the second half, but I had never seen a player with so much speed in my entire life. This prompted the president to invite Salah to the Swiss city for a week for a trial, from which they ended up signing him during the summer. And just like that, Salah had escaped the turmoil that was Egyptian football and made the first big step in his career. But as you'll soon see, the setbacks and the challenges were far from over. Now guys, this story does get a lot crazier with rejection, heartbreak, but ultimately glory. But before we get into that, I just want to ask a favor. I would really appreciate it if you would subscribe and help me become the biggest football channel on all of YouTube. This is my dream and your support means the world to me. So thank you. Okay, now back to the story. At 20 years old, Mo Salah signed a four year deal at Basel, marking the start to his year of European adventure. And adapting to a new country and language was not easy for the young Egyptian, so much so that Heiko Vogel, who was Basel's manager at the time, was shocked by the Egyptian superstar's terrible initial performances in training and thought the club had signed a twin brother of his. But he embraced the challenge and stepped into the shoes of Basel's former star, Jerdan Shaqiri, who left right when Salah joined. And in his first season, Basel's next manager, Murat Yakin, carefully managed his development, often using him as an impact substitute, where he went on to score 10 goals and provide 11 assists in 50 games, helping Basel win the Swiss Super League, finish runners-up in the Swiss Cup and reach the Europa League semifinals, where they were beaten by Chelsea, despite Salah scoring in one of the ties. But Mo would not let this slide, as we're about to see. The 2013-14 season saw Salah take things to another level, especially in the Champions League, where he scored the equalizer in Basel's stunning 2-1 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and then even scored the winner in the return leg in November. However, after this monumental win for the club, they were eventually eliminated in the group stage. It was no surprise that Salah caught the attention of so many top European clubs, and by January 2014, Chelsea were reminiscing about the Egyptian's performance against them and decided to sign him from the Swiss side for 16.5 million euros, leaving Basel as a Swiss champion with a total of 20 goals and 17 assists in 79 appearances. But despite seeming like the dream transfer move for the player, this would soon turn out to be the worst decision of his entire career, as everything he worked for would start to slip right through his fingers. Mo Salah became the first-ever Egyptian to join Chelsea Football Club, and it was his mission to make his country proud and really put Egypt on the footballing map. But unfortunately, he found himself in a team stacked with star wingers like Eden Hazard, Willian and Oskar, which made it hard for him to break into the starting 11. He eventually made his debut in February in a 3-0 win against Newcastle and scored his first goal on March 22nd in a legendary 6-0 thrashing of Arsenal during Arsene Wenger's 1000th game in charge, coming off the bench to slot in the sixth goal. His next big moment came in April when he opened the scoring, won a penalty and provided an assist in Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Stoke City, showing glimpses of the player he was destined to become. But despite these flashes of brilliance, Salah's time at Chelsea was far from smooth because during the 2014-15 season, rumours spread that Salah might have had to return to Egypt for mandatory military service, but thankfully after intervention from the Egyptian Prime Minister and national team officials, he was spared. Still though, opportunities on the pitch were rare as he only made three league appearances and was publicly criticised by manager Jose Mourinho after a poor performance in a match. And even though his contributions were minimal, Mourinho promised Salah a replica winner's medal for Chelsea's successful domestic campaign, which was rather insulting and added to the bittersweet nature of his time in London, which soon came to an end after a dramatic deadline day move in February 2015 where Mo Salah joined Fiorentina on an 18-month loan as part of the deal that sent Juan Cuadrado to Chelsea. Unfortunately for Mohamed, his time in England was considered a failure, but this lit a fuel in him and, as you know, he would eventually return to dominate this league. But for now, he was arriving in Italy with a point to prove, and things were only going up from here. Salah chose the number 74 shirt as a tribute to the victims of the Port Said Stadium tragedy, showing that no matter where he played, he carried Egypt in his heart. And just six days after signing, he made his debut against Atalanta, coming off the bench in a 3-2 win and, on February 14th, Salah made his first start for Fiorentina against Sassuolo and wasted no time, scoring his first goal for the club in the 30th minute before assisting a second goal just two minutes later in a 3-1 victory. And his hot streak continued when he scored his first European goal for Fiorentina 12 days later, sealing a 3-1 aggregate win over Tottenham to send Fiorentina into the Europa League Round of 16, and Salah just kept delivering for his new club. But despite his incredible run of form in his debut season, things got complicated towards the end as Fiorentina tried to activate a clause to make his loan permanent, but Salah refused to stay after offering him an insulting contract. So he joined Roma, which would eventually turn out to be one of the club's best ever deals because in his first season in Rome, Salah hit the ground running, wearing the number 11 shirt and making his debut in August in a 1-1 draw against Verona. And he quickly proved his worth by scoring his first goal a month later against Sassuolo in a 2-2 draw, following it up with more goals in back-to-back matches. And as the season progressed, Salah became Roma's top scorer with 14 goals and also added six assists to his locker, helping the team secure a third-place finish in the Serie A and therefore a spot in Champions League qualification. And with that, by the end of the 2015-2016 season, Salah's first impact on the pitch earned him Roma's Player of the Season award and solidified his status as a key player for the club. And of course, Roma wasted no time making his move permanent in the summer of 2016 for just 15 million euros, a bargain for a player who was about to truly explode onto the world of football. The 2016-17 season was a record-breaking campaign for Roma and a personal best for Salah, who delivered 15 goals and 11 assists in the Serie A alone as he was either scoring or assisting almost every game, averaging 0.95 goal contributions every 90 minutes thanks to his incredible pace, sharp dribbling and crossing ability making him the perfect partner for Edin Dzeko as the duo combined for 44 league goals, making them one of the most dangerous attacking forces in Europe. But Salah's time at Roma wasn't just about stats, it was his impact which solidified him into the hearts of the fans as he was a key part of a team that pushed Juventus all the way in their title race, finishing second in Serie A, just four points off the top. But after a season like this, Mo Salah was now back in the eyes of Europe's top clubs and was ready to make his return to the league that almost broke him. After two seasons in Rome, bagging a total of 34 goals and 21 assists in 83 appearances, Mohamed Salah was announced as Liverpool's latest signing in a move that would literally change the entire world of football and proved to be one of the best transfers in the entire history of the sport. Now at 25 years old, Mo Salah was signed to provide depth, especially with an injured Sadio Mane and no reliable backup in the 2016-17 season. Jurgen Klopp had just signed for Liverpool a couple of years prior and was slowly building a team that could win the lot and Mo Salah was the latest piece to this evolving puzzle. The signing was completed for a 42 million euro price tag, a fee which the Reds initially laughed at. And looking at it logically, spending 40 million euros on an Egyptian who had previously failed in the Premier League was not an obvious choice, but Klopp saw something in him. Salah was well known for his crossing ability and cutting inside from the wings, on top of his blistering pace of course, all attributes which fit a Jurgen Klopp system perfectly. In Salah's debut season for the Reds, Roberto Firmino graciously handed over the No.11 shirt to him and made his debut on the opening day of the Premier League season against Watford where he hit the ground running by winning a penalty and scoring in a thrilling 3-3 draw that had fans buzzing. And his electric start did not stop there as he tapped in a crucial goal in the Champions League playoff against Hoffenheim, followed by a man-of-the-match performance at Anfield in a stunning 4-0 demolition of Arsenal, where he scored and set up Daniel Sturridge with an inch-perfect cross, earning himself Liverpool's Player of the Month for August. And Mo carried this form into September with three more goals, including a brilliant brace and assist in a record-breaking 7-0 Champions League thrashing of Maribor that left fans in awe of the player they signed. By November, Salah had transformed into a goal-scoring machine, and as 2018 kicked off, Salah showed no signs of slowing down, returning from injury to inspire Liverpool to a 4-3 win over previously unbeaten Man City with a stunning 30-yard strike that sealed the victory, followed by a brace against Tottenham and, in March, he reached new heights with his first hat-trick for the Reds, scoring four times in a 5-0 demolition of Watford, including a signature solo effort that left defenders in the dust and had Anfield roaring as he made history by winning the Premier League Player of the Month award three times in one season, an achievement no one had managed before. He was just turning into a record machine and could not stop scoring. He was performing at a level never seen before and was now being talked about as the best player in the Premier League. In the Champions League, Salah was just as unstoppable, scoring in both legs of the quarter-final against Man City to send Liverpool to the semi-finals for the first time in 10 years and against his former club Roma, where he delivered a masterclass in the first leg with two world-class goals and two assists in a 5-2 victory that took his season tally to 43 goals, 32 of which were in the Premier League alone, making him the all-time goal scorer in a Premier League season, claiming the Golden Boot and cementing his place as the league's most lethal forward just after one year. But despite all this individual glory, Liverpool's season ended in heartbreak as they finished fourth in the league. But the real blow came in the Champions League final against Real Madrid when Salah's incredible run was tragically cut short after just 30 minutes due to a criminal challenge by Sergio Ramos who pinned him down and dislocated his shoulder, leaving him in agony and tears. This resulted in Liverpool falling to a devastating 3-1 defeat. But this defeat was only fuel, making Salah and Liverpool hungry to come back the next year. But for now, Salah was named the PFA Player's Player of the Year award and earned himself a new five-year deal as Liverpool's highest-paid player. Now, during the summer, Salah went on to represent Egypt in the 2018 World Cup, which they had not participated in since 1990, though the campaign sadly ended in more frustration for him as they lost every group stage match and were sent home early. But unlike what we're about to see with Liverpool, his international heartbreaks were only going to get worse from here, but more on that later. Now we head into the 2018-19 season, and after a debut season like that, most people figured it would be crazy to think that Salah could keep up those insane numbers at Liverpool. And let's be real, it was the kind of season you'd expect once in a lifetime. But oh boy, Salah had other ideas, because not only did he keep proving everyone wrong, he just kept leveling up and turning doubters into believers. Mo wasted no time getting started this season scoring Liverpool's first goal of the year in a 4-0 win over West Ham, and this magical time at Liverpool was only getting better, as by December, he became the first Egyptian ever shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or, and despite finishing 6th, this was still a historic moment that made his country proud, solidifying his status as the greatest Egyptian footballer of all time. And he soon went on to score his 50th goal for Liverpool in just 65 games, making him the fastest player in the club's history to reach that milestone. Now, at this time, Liverpool were sitting top of the Premier League, and they were literally on fire, and the same was happening in the Champions League, as Liverpool had progressed to the Round of 16 and were looking to take home the lot. Come April, and Salah scored yet another signature solo run goal to make him the fastest Liverpool player to reach 50 Premier League goals, achieving it in just 69 games and breaking Fernando Torres' record of 72 games. The Premier League title went down to the final game of the season this year, and unfortunately, despite achieving 92 points, Liverpool finished one point shy of Man City, leaving Heartbreak in the city who had been deprived of a league title for just about 30 years. Despite the team heartbreak, Mo finished as the league's top scorer with 22 goals for the second time in a row, but this time sharing the golden boot with Mane and Aubameyang. But the real story this season for Liverpool came in Europe, as these men were back for revenge, as they found themselves in the Champions League final, and they thanked their lucky stars they came against Tottenham Hotspur. Pretty much a free hit considering Spurs allergy to trophies, but still, they had to get the job done, and within the first 20 seconds of the match, Liverpool won a penalty which Salah converted, and the Reds went on to secure a 2-0 victory, claiming their sixth Champions League title, marking Salah's first major honour with the club and putting to rest the heartbreak of the previous year's final. From the moment the 2019-20 season kicked off, Salah and Liverpool dominated the Premier League, finishing yet another season with over 20 league goals, and this time, as the year came to an end, Liverpool sat top of the Premier League, and Mo Salah, a Premier League reject just a few years ago, was now a Premier League champion. But still, Mohamed Salah was not quite ready writing his legacy, as he moved into what was now his fourth season at Liverpool Football Club. Showing no signs of slowing down, he scored a hat-trick in the first league match of the season against Leeds, and come October, he scored his 100th goal for Liverpool in all competitions in a draw against Everton. But of course, this was not enough for Mo, as he went on to secure his 20th goal in all competitions for the fourth season in a row, but unfortunately, this time, Liverpool fell short behind both Manchester teams in a third-place finish, on top of getting knocked out from the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid, who kept haunting Mo Salah. But this was far from the end, as Salah's biggest heartbreak was just around the corner. But he still kicked off his fifth season with a bang, by once again scoring and assisting in the first matchday in a 3-0 win over Norwich. Becoming the first player ever to score in the opening game of five consecutive Premier League seasons, and just weeks later, he hit his 100th Premier League goal in a win over Leeds, and reached the milestone faster than any Liverpool player before him, achieving it in just 151 games, and climbing into the club's top 10 goalscores of all time. October was a month of magic, as Salah scored a stunning double against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, to become the club's all-time leading scorer in the competition, and just days later, he destroyed Manchester United with a historic hat-trick in a 5-0 win at Old Trafford, to become the highest-scoring African player in Premier League history. And this was followed by a solo goal against Manchester City, that won both the Goal of the Month and Goal of the Season awards. In December, Salah once again hit the 20-goal mark for the season during Liverpool's flawless Champions League group stage campaign, and became the first Liverpool player since Ian Rush to score 20 goals in five consecutive seasons. But come February, Salah was called up to the AFCON, and he went in with dreams of bringing the trophy home. But unfortunately, this would not be the case. He captained Egypt in the AFCON final against Senegal, where he clashed with his teammate Sadio Mane, only to lose the trophy in a dramatic penalty shoot-out. And then, to make matters worse, just a month later in March, Egypt faced Senegal once again in the World Cup qualifiers, with another penalty shoot-out deciding their fate. And once again, Senegal came out on top, bashing Salah's World Cup hopes, meaning Salah's Egyptian dreams were crushed twice in two months. But things just went from bad to worse for Salah, as Liverpool once again fell short in the Premier League, as they lost the league title to Man City by just one point, and even lost another Champions League final to none other than Real Madrid. But despite four major heartbreaks in a single season, Mo Salah still had some silver linings as he finished as the joint top scorer in the Premier League with 23 goals, claiming his third Golden Boot, and even winning the Playmaker of the Season award with 13 assists. And Liverpool still celebrated a domestic double by lifting both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. Salah was now entering Season No. 6 at Liverpool, and had maintained the world-class performances for five years in a row, prompting a new contract that would run until 2025, making him the highest-paid player in the club's history with a wage of £350,000 per week. Now at the ripe age of 30, and after such heartbreaks in the previous season, everyone thought that Salah's career would be finished, and wouldn't have the mental or physical strength to push through. But Mo was all about making a point and proving doubters wrong, and so, with such a fire lit inside of him, he wasted no time by scoring and assisting in a 3-1 Community Shield win over Man City, and kicking off his sixth Premier League season with a goal and assist in a 2-2 draw at Fulham, breaking his own record and becoming the first player to score on the opening day six seasons in a row. And in October, apart from placing fifth in the Ballon d'Or, Salah came off the bench to beg a historic six-minute hat-trick against Rangers in a 7-1 Champions League win to break the record for the fastest hat-trick in the entire competition. But once again, Liverpool's Champions League run ended in the Round of 16 against, of course, Real Madrid. But March brought even more records as Salah destroyed Man Utd in a 7-0 win, scoring twice and assisting twice to become Liverpool's all-time Premier League top scorer with 129 goals overtaking Robbie Fowler and, as expected, he finally became the highest-scoring Egyptian in the history of football with 303 career goals, surpassing Hossam Hassan. But all in all, this was another disappointing season for Liverpool, who not only were knocked out of the Champions League early on, but didn't even qualify for it in the upcoming season as they finished fifth in the Premier League. Now, the entire city of Liverpool was about to face a shock as Jurgen Klopp would come out to announce that the 23-24 season was going to be his final one for the club. And they were close to getting a double hit as Salah received a massive two-year offer worth £155 million from Al-Ihdihad in the Saudi League, but his agent made it clear he was fully committed to Liverpool. And despite this Saudi team returning with a £150 million bid in September, Liverpool stood firm and rejected it, showing the mutual love for between the club and the player. Liverpool placed third in the Premier League this year, and Jurgen Klopp bid farewell to the club, leaving with Mo Salah having been his most used player in his time there. Klopp had really built a dynasty at Liverpool FC, and the world of football doubted whether the new manager Arne Slott was going to be able to keep up the levels in the team. But funnily enough, he was going to not only keep the levels, but step it up, as both Liverpool and Mo Salah were about to dominate England once more. So now moving into the current season, and with only one year on his contract, people were doubting his focus, but Mo Salah is just a perfect professional, and who has simply aged like fine wine as he has started this year in the best way possible. Even better than his first season at the club, as he became the first player in the Premier League history to reach double digits at both goals and assists before Christmas, while also climbing to fourth on Liverpool's all-time scoring list, surpassing Billy Liddell. Liverpool also finally defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League this season, meaning they've seemingly broken their curse, so now we just wait and see as to what the second half of the season holds for Mo in Liverpool, but it's safe to say that he'll be going down as one of the greatest football players to ever grace the Premier League, and will forever be remembered running down the wing as the Egyptian King. What a player! Now the story of Mo Salah was crazy, but there's a football player who was actually raised in the coal mines and somehow went on to win every trophy football has to offer, so click the video on screen to see it.