Further evidence of Mohamed Salah‘s growing status not just in England and Europe but around the world, with the Egyptian named in TIME magazine’s most influential people of 2019.
A list more recognised for featuring politicians, businesspeople and humanitarians, Salah is one of just five sports people in the 100, alongside LeBron James (basketball), Tiger Woods (golf), Caster Semenya (athletics) and Alex Morgan (women’s football).
Salah is one of just six people from the top 100 chosen for the magazine’s cover images for the special issue.
Salah’s rise to prominence since arriving at Liverpool in 2017 has been played out on a global stage, especially in last season’s run to the Champions League final.
The Egyptian is profiled by US TV presenter and Liverpool supporter, John Oliver, who writes:
Mo Salah is a better human being than he is a football player. And he’s one of the best football players in the world.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a professional athlete in any sport less affected by their success or status than Mo, which is incredible because I can’t imagine the kind of pressure that comes with the intensity of adoration he receives. Mo is an iconic figure for Egyptians, Scousers and Muslims the world over, and yet he always comes across as a humble, thoughtful, funny man who isn’t taking any of this too seriously.
As a footballer, he plays with an infectious joy. I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to be able to play as well as him, and watching his face light up after he does something incredible, you get the reassuring sense that it’s exactly as fun as you’d want it to be.
I absolutely love him.
.@MoSalah: “People always have big expectations from you. You see the kids, they’re wearing your shirt and they say they wish they could be like you one day” #TIME100 https://t.co/WS9zrIKhKF pic.twitter.com/EshT5V3anQ
— TIME (@TIME) April 17, 2019
Speaking to TIME, Salah discussed women’s equality, saying: “I think we need to change the way we treat women in our culture. It’s not optional.
“I support the woman more than I did before, because I feel like she deserves more than what they give her now, at the moment.”
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