'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Amidst the chaos of a nation always on the verge of disintegration, those living on the banks of the River Nile have found a rallying cry in the realisation of dreams of one of their very own - Mohamed Salah.
To understand the impact that this diminutive Egyptian is having on his fellow countrymen we'll need to first get perspective on what it is like to be an Egyptian in the 21st century.
Ever since the uprising in 2011, a movement which has come to be known as the 'Arab Spring', Egypt has failed to throw-off the shackles of tyranny which have stifled the chances of any sort of resurrection that the country is so direly in need of.
The days of Mubarak were replaced by an even grimmer fate imposed by the military on the natives of the often eulogised part of the globe. Egypt emerged as one of the world's first nation-states in the tenth millennium BC, but prevailing conditions have rendered the country into a bleak, dark version of its glorious former self.
To sum up, 'hope' is a luxury the Egyptians cannot afford.
Yet somehow, despite the state of paralysis that Egypt currently finds itself in, a 5' 7'', unassuming 25-year-old has breathed life and hope back into the lives of his fellow countrymen and countrywomen.
It seems like every time Mohamed Salah scores, the elation finds resonance in what went down in Tahrir Square in June of 2013 - a revolution.
Salah for President?
In a country thirsting for political, social and cultural change, the citizenry showed their deep devotion for the Liverpool man by striking out the names of the candidates for the presidential elections on their ballot papers and scrawling Salah's instead.
This resulted in the footballer securing a higher percentage of the vote count than one of the two official contenders!
That is the incomprehensible effect that the talisman goal-scorer is having on Egypt at the moment.
You cannot write this stuff! And yet somehow, Mo Salah is living it.
A measure of the impact that the Liverpool goal-scoring revelation has had on those watching him back home can be glimpsed by the fact that after Salah came onboard for a drug-prevention campaign, the calls coming into the rehabilitation centres across the nation saw a rise of 400 percent!
This world makes no sense, almost at all times, but every now and then a legend rises from this soporific tale of human existence and adds meaning to our lives. Mohamed Salah has been that man for Egypt.
Is MO enough?
When initially brought in, he wasn't expected to even be.a major part of Klopp's plans. While all their rivals strengthened heavily over the summer or worked on future deals to get world class players on their teams, Jurgen Klopp managed to prise away the winger for a meager £38 million from Roma.
They scoffed at him and the man he brought to Anfield. The pundits scratched their heads, trying to figure out where the Egyptian would fit into the team, and if he even deserves a place in the red part of Merseyside. Even the blue part of Merseyside would've probably passed on the left-footed goal-getter. All he can do is run, they said.
All he can do is score they never said.
When the curtains drew on a stellar phase of a certain Brazilian's Liverpool career, few had expected the Reds to keep up their wonderful form and an even more-impressive goal-scoring record. "Who is going to be the creative force in the team?", was a thought that festered in the minds of even the more ardent supporters.
Fortunately for Anfield, when the mountain didn't come to Mohamed, he decided to pack his bags and head to Merseyside. And what a life-changing, course-altering decision it was to agree with Klopp and move to England after a pretty impressive showing in Italy.
We wonder what must've crossed the Egyptian's mind as he prepared to put his feet back down in England: Is the same ridicule in store for me, from the last time I was here? Will they mock my appearance and my origin? Will I fail again?
Well, if you'd asked Chelsea fans, they'd all answer with a definitive yes. They'd tell you that Liverpool were in for what they got when Torres switched allegiances. And they're all now probably hiding behind their couches.
Salah of all trades!
Currently enjoying the form of his life, the leading goal-scorer in the Premier League has opened up a 5-goal advantage in the standings over Harry Kane and even got on the score-sheet in Europe in the 3-0 drubbing of the champions-elect of England.
29 goals in 31 appearances in the league. That is Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi levels! No wait, that surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi levels.
The messianic fervour surrounding the former Roma man clearly seems to have willed him on to achieve greatness, as he is currently right in the reckoning to not just become the top-scorer in England, but also in all of Europe.
His exploits in the Champions League have been just as impressive, particularly the latest ones against City. A high-intensity start for the Reds was enough to blow their competition out of the water in just 30 minutes. And what competition Pep's men have been all season. No match for Salah and co. on the night though, as they seem destined to exit the stage when the whole world was betting on the Reds to do the same.
But when Liverpool's weapon of mass destruction let loose in the opening exchanges of the night, Anfield was in for another one of those mesmerising nights of European glory. They didn't have Stevie G to thank for it but they knew exactly who they did have!
Mohamed Salah, their 38 goal talismanic game-changer, who has found the net in every competition he has been a part of for the Reds this season.
Mohamed: The footballing prophet
What must it be like to shoulder the expectations and aspirations of an entire nation, of an entire people, every time you take the pitch. All those hopeful eyes transfixed on you, waiting for you to enthral them, delight them, make them want to scream till their lungs are sore, waiting for you to score... EVERY TIME YOU TAKE THE FIELD!
EVERY GOD-DAMN TIME!
And that this little magician does for fun.
In almost a decade of eclipsing the rest of the world of football, all those Neymars and SIlvas, your Sanchez and Hazards, couldn't quite stop the press from writing up the two decidedly best talents to have ever graced the game.
Those names are the Mike Tysons and Floyd Mayweathers of our sport. Ronaldo and Messi - probably Muhammed Ali.
But Mohammed Salah is the Rocky Balboa of world football. This almost mythical tale of a guy who can take a world of beating and still stay standing and, when you're least expecting it, will land a lethal blow and crack you wide open.
Just doesn't know when to stay down. Doesn't quite know how to give up. Cannot quite be kept down.
CAN NOT. STOP. SCORING!
It is a story that continues to baffle and hypnotise - those covering the game - in equal measure.
Doesn't matter which faith you belong to or which part of the world you come from, everyone loves a good come-back fairytale and there aren't many going around which are as special as the one surrounding Mo Salah.
It is a story of a small, until recently, a seemingly inconsequential man from Egypt who has attained the towering stature of that of a Pharaoh. If religion has taught us anything, it's that raising a mere human to the pedestal of being a God is sheer blasphemy.
Yet, somehow, the Egyptians couldn't care less, 'coz Mo Salah...
