There is no question that Mohamed Salah has worked his way to the top and is now one of the iconic football players in the world right now. He has been doing great for Liverpool and his path to success has become an inspiration not only to aspiring booters of Arabic descent but all young players.
Salah has drawn praise from a former Liverpool star in Nabil El Zhar. Aside from the success that Salah has had, he also points out the humble personality of the 27-year-old forward. Salah is one of few international players who have made their mark in the world of football. Other notable names include Mido and Mohamed Zidan although there is no denying that Salah has done much more. The player from Egypt is also a two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner and is undeniably up for more feting moving forward, Goal.com reported.
El Zhar notes how the standards have been set high right now. He compares his run from 2006-2011 and remains up to date. He points out how players from other countries are an inspiration and big influence on future football stars, singling out Salah for one.
"When I signed for Liverpool, everyone in Morocco was supporting Liverpool and now you can see it over here in Asia, in Qatar," El Zhar said to the Liverpool website. "Mo Salah also because he's an Arabic player, so they follow him because Egypt is close to Qatar.
The times have changed over the years. El Zhar may have not the same impact as Salah, playing behind the likes of players like Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso, and Javier Mascherano.
"As someone that always respects, I'm very respectful, to see this kind of player with you, I'm not saying I didn't deserve it but you're always there and say to yourself, 'You need to do a lot more to get to this level'," El Zhar said.
For now, the player in focus is Salah. Players are studying his moves and will likely come up with innovations or improvements of their own. At some point, a new rising star will come out from countries that have talented football players with each aware they need to push themselves to reach the stage that the Egyptian player has reached. And until that time comes, Salah remains an influential player to all, made even better by the fact that he remains humble despite rising to fame.
