Mo Salah named among world's 100 most influential people

Egypt legend Mo Salah named among world's 100 most influential people

Football fans have taken to social media to heap praise on Mo Salah following his inclusion in Time Magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people.

MENA

3 min read

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18 April, 2019

Mo Salah has won the adoration of football fans for his humble persona [Getty]

Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named as one of Time 100 most influential people in the world for 2019, gracing the cover of the magazine.

Salah, who has won the admiration of football fans both on and off the pitch due to his warm persona, featured as one of six cover stars on the latest edition of Time.

The Egyptian national used his interview with the US magazine to voice his support for women's rights.

"We need to support the woman more in our culture," Salah, 26, said in his interview with Time. "That has to be, it's not optional."

Salah's words sparked an outpouring of praise and support on social media, with some labelling him as a feminist hero.

"The two most important feminists of our age Beyonce and Mo Salah," wrote one Twitter user.

"Feminist icon and best non-messi player on the planet, mohamed salah," wrote another.

Writing about Salah for Time, British comedian John Oliver shared some words about the Egyptian football star which reflected the reputation for humility that he has gained among football fans.

"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," Oliver wrote.

"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," he added.

Oliver's words were echoed by many on Twitter who shared their anecdotes about the Liverpool striker.

"I spotted him when I was in Liverpool. I was so nervous (I was shaking) that he offered to take a selfie with my phone. We then briefly chatted about the upcoming game and how I was solo traveling in Europe from the states. He was kind, patient, and just a wonderful human," wrote Twitter user WTorresJr89 in a tweet accompanied by a picture of him with Salah.

Since joining Liverpool in 2017 from Italian club Roma, Salah has become one of the Premier League's most prominent players. His record includes scoring 44 goals in his debut season at Liverpool, as well as 19 so far this season.

Despite winning the affections of football fans through his performances, Salah, who is a practicing Muslim, has also been the target of Islamophobic hate.

Earlier this month, a video circulated on social media showed a group of Chelsea fans calling the Liverpool star a "bomber" while gathered in a bar in the Czech capital of Prague.

Chelsea and Liverpool issued statements strongly condemning the fans' behaviour.