How Liverpool FC star Mo Salah became 'one of the all-time greats'

When Mohamed Salah announced he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, Jürgen Klopp hailed him as "one of the all-time greats". The ex-Reds boss managed him for his first five seasons at Anfield - in which Salah scored 156 goals, winning the Champions League, Premier League, three domestic cups, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup. He is indeed an exceptional footballer. But that is only one of the many elements that have made him a global icon and role model to people way beyond the city of Liverpool. Growing up in Nagrig, a remote village in Egypt, he kicked off his career at Al Mokawloon Al Arab, travelling nine hours a day by bus, from the age of 14, for training in Cairo. His route to success has been a rocky one but Salah recalls a moment when everything changed. "I was on the bench for two months," he told Sports Illustrated. "I told my father, 'I can't go… every day and be on the bench.' I was crying. He said, 'Listen, everyone who became a big name after a long time, he suffered a lot [first]. It's not going to be easy. Just keep focused, train hard and I'm sure you will play again and be great.' That's a moment that I still remember… After a short period, I