As the Egyptian King Mohamed Salah takes his final bow at Anfield, El-Shai’s Ibrahim Wahdan reflects on the end of a golden Liverpool legacy.
Mohamed Salah has been a part of Egyptian hearts and minds for the better part of 16 years at this point.
But each and every one of us has his own personal story with the Egyptian king.
And as a person who’s grown up watching his career, here’s mine.
Starting with Beef:
My initial reaction to seeing Mo Salah was dislike. Back in 2010, I had just started watching football consistently. I was 8. And with a burning passion towards Al-Ahly. Which didn’t help Salah’s case when he scored for El-Mokawloon to make it 1-0 against Al-Ahly. It was my first impression of him. And it was immediately negative. Little did I know the incredible journey we were about to go down.
More Disappointment:
It was the same old world cup story. Trying so hard, and failing at the final hurdle. I had hopes, like everyone did. And then we were thrashed 6-1. That day I felt the same way all of us did, hopeless. But that world cup qualifying campaign was the first time I had started to like salah. It felt like he was one of the few people actually trying. One of the few people actually playing with heart. And his heartbreak on that day was mine too.
The Number 74 Shirt:
The Year was 2015. The Port-Said massacre was still fresh in everyone’s minds. The darkest day in Egyptian football. I still remember watching that match, I still remember hearing the frantic calls from the stadium to live TV. I was thirteen at the time, and didn’t fully grasp the horror of the moment. Until Mohamed Salah pushed his way into my heart, and the heart of Egyptians worldwide. We had heard of his disappointing time at Chelsea.
And no one had batted an eye when he went on loan to Mid-tier Italian side Fiorentina. Until he announced he was going to be playing in the number 74. To honor the 74 dead in port said. He grabbed my attention again. This time, the feeling was absolute respect. I had seen people speak out for the 74 victims, but this made me feel like those people mattered globally. That as long as that number 74 was on his back, everyone would remember what happened.
The Season of Dreams:
I had followed Salah’s triumphs in Italy through clips here and there. Rarely watching a full match. But when he signed with Liverpool, I started watching every single game. Because it finally felt like there was someone like us who made it. It was proof to every single Egyptian that dreams can come true. And it came at a time where all of us needed it. Myself included. I was starting high school. Starting to think of where I wanted to go to college. And properly forming my hopes and dreams. And he made me feel like it was all genuinely possible.
The Best Moment of My Life:
October 8th 2018. Egypt V Congo. 93rd Minute. My heart in my stomach. As Salah gave me the single biggest moment of pure joy in my life. I had finally seen us do it. For the first time in my life we were World Cup-bound. And it was because of him again. Especially with the context that I had watched the game just before against Uganda at Borg Al Arab Stadium. It was my first time watching a game at the stadium. I had finally felt like part of the Journey. I was there in person, not just watching through a screen. It was like living in El-3alamy. He was the boy who did it.
Tear-Filled Exit:
Not only did he break premiere league records, as well as send us to the world cup for the first time in 28 years, he was a champions league finalist. Every single Egyptian was watching that match, and I was too. And it didn’t take long for Ramos to break my heart. Watching Salah come off injured, with tears in his eyes, made me cry. It made me feel like the untouchable hero I’d been on the journey with, had been brought down to size. It was the horrible realization for me, a teenager at the time, that life isn’t fair. And your dreams don’t have to come true.
Champions League Redemption:
As has been the norm in Salah’s career so far, every High was followed by a devastating low. And every low was followed by an incredible high. After the injury in the Final the season before, and a disappointing World Cup, I watched that year’s champions league final with no expectations. But once again, a man with a dream takes me on his road to history. The first Egyptian to win the champions league. But that day, It wasn’t just Salah who won the champions league, It was all of us. Proof that someone like me could go all the way, AND finally win. Our David hadn’t just beaten Goliath, he had become Goliath himself.
The Senegal Curse:
The Senegal Games are some of my worst days watching football. I was a lot older now, and the losses stung a lot more. The 6-1 against Ghana stung, but I was a kid, so I got over it. The repeated losses to Senegal were somehow worse. Because I really believed. And once again, like it often is with this current team, it was a case of “So close, yet so far.”. It was one of the first times in my life I realized that 11 random humans kicking a ball on a patch of grass can control my mood.
When reality hit; he’s not as perfect as we thought:
During the Gaza massacre, I wanted Salah to join everyone in speaking out against the blatant massacre happening before our eyes. Everyone else spoke out. Anwar El-Ghazi, Youcef Atal, Noussair Mazraoui. They all spoke out. Salah didn’t, when I knew HIS word would’ve made a difference. I had seen the difference he had already made against Islamophobia with his time at Liverpool. Sure, he donated, but it took him way too long to speak out. And it just made me realize that idols aren’t perfect. No one ever is. Idols are there for us to follow the good traits. But they’re not immune to mistakes, and they’re certainly not immune from criticism either.
Today:
It’s the 24th of May 2026 as I write this. In a few hours, Mohamed Salah plays his final game for Liverpool FC. And it just feels like the beginning of the end. And it somehow feels like the beginning of the end of my youth as well. Or maybe like him closing this chapter coincides with me closing the chapter of my coming-of-age. I was 8-years old when I first saw him play. Today, at 24-years old, I’ll see him play the final game for a team where I’ve seen him re-write history year after year. Am I going to be emotional? Yes. Even when I know it’s not the end yet. He is a man that proved that Egypt could still produce greatness, at a time where we all needed it.
Where he goes from here? I don’t know yet. He’ll always be special to me. The one man that could, the one man that opened the door to the likes of Omar Marmoush and Hamza Abdulkarim. Strange how one man can take you on such a journey. But what a journey it has been. And Mohamed Salah’s time in the history books isn’t even done yet…
