Mohamed Salah’s old school renamed after him and discounts in restaurants if you say his name… how’s Egypt’s World Cup hopes lie on Liverpool star’s shoulders
Former Chelsea star had a hand in EVERY goal Egypt scored as they broke their World Cup curse to qualify for Russia 2018
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EYEBROWS were raised when Liverpool splashed a whopping £36.9million to sign Chelsea flop Mohamed Salah from Roma this summer.
But he's easily thrown his hat in the ring to be crowned the signing of the season after a tremendous start to 2017-18.
During his brief stint at Liverpool, Salah has scored 14 times in the league and laid on a hatful of assists.
However, if you think he's already become a fan-favourite on Merseyside, just wait until you see how Egypt see him...
The African nation have baffled the world footballing stage in recent years.
Egypt have somehow managed to dominate African competition - with SEVEN titles - but have failed to reach the World Cup time and time again.
In fact, the 2018 World Cup in Russia will be only their THIRD entry on the biggest stage, having only qualified in 1934 and 1990.
And they have Salah to thank for that, as the Liverpool speedster had a hand in every, single one of their goals in qualifying, with five goals and two assists.
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It was his intense 95th-minute penalty against Congo that led Egypt to the finals - sparking jubilation for the nation on the pitch and across the 80million-strong country.
His heroics led 87-cap Egypt international Hazem Emam to call his own nation a one-man team, riding the wave that is Salah.
Emam claimed: "Salah is the man behind our qualification to the World Cup.
"When we qualified in 1990, it was more of a team effort. This time, Salah was the leader of the whole campaign.
"Nobody in the history of Egypt has reached such a level in world football and been so successful with the national team."
Emam added Salah could even propel Egypt to the second-round for the first-time ever, adding: "Everyone will be talking about Salah's side, not Egypt, which will be quite a pressure.
"But if he is the same form then as he is now, he can lead Egypt to the second round for the first time."
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Since his heroics against Congo, Salah has seen his face splashed across newspapers and billboards across the country.
On top of that, his hometown school has been renamed in his honour, with some restaurants even offering discounts to customers who utter the name "Salah".
Another former Egypt international, Diaa El-Sayed, revealed his impressive decision-making regarding his employers have been key to his success on the pitch.
Salah famously snubbed giants Al Ahly or Zamalek, opting to play for Arab Contractors, before moving to Europe.
The ex-Egypt Under-20s coach said: "When I first worked with him, I told him that his ambition should have no limit because he had such great pace.
"And, more importantly, he was highly committed to developing his abilities.
"He listened carefully to instructions and has dedicated his whole life off the pitch to becoming a world-class footballer."
When all domestic football in Egypt was suspended after 74 Al Ahly fans were killed after being attacked by rival fans, Salah shipped off to Europe, joining Basel.
From there he joined Chelsea, spent time on loan at Fiorentina and Roma, before joining the latter permanently.
His astonishing form, winning club Player of the Year in 2015-16 in the Italian capital, saw him make another bold step in joining Liverpool.
El-Sayed revealed: "The key to Mohamed's success in Europe is that he always knew when to take the right step.
"It didn't take him too long to decide that leaving Chelsea was important for his development. Moving to Italy was the most important decision in Salah's career.
"Tactical awareness is the priority in Italy and he was keen to learn how to cope with the complicated style of play.
"He didn't spend much time at Fiorentina but it was a brilliant start that made him comfortable when he joined Roma."
"I remember him celebrating a goal [in February 2015] for Fiorentina against Tottenham in an unusual way.
"When I asked about it, he said: 'I was happy that I proved a point against a Premier League side.'
"The same reason made him decide to join Liverpool this year."
Salah will now look to maintain his blistering form for the Reds as the season goes on and, who knows, maybe even help Egypt spring a few surprises next summer...
