Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has been named as one of TIME magazine‘s 100 most influential people.
Alongside LeBron James and Tiger Woods, the Anfield idol is one of six cover stars for the magazine’s annual list, following a huge global breakthrough in the last 18 months.
Since his move to Merseyside in 2017, Salah, 26, has emerged as one of the Premier League’s star performers, bagging 66 goals for the Reds.
Salah is the only male footballer on the list, with US women’s international Alex Morgan also included.
In an interview with the magazine, the Egyptian spoke about his journey from his home town to Anfield.
“People always have big, big expectations for you. You see the kids they’re wearing your shirt. They say they wish they could be like you one day.
“So they put you under pressure a little bit, but in the meantime that is something that makes you proud, about what you reached until now.”
Salah also opened up on the importance of women’s equality, and how women are seen across Egypt and the Muslim world.
“I think we need to change the way we treat women in our culture,” Salah said. “It’s not optional.
“I support the woman more than I did before, because I feel like she deserves more than what they give her now, at the moment.”
Salah also spoke on life as a father, stating that his favourite way to unwind after a game is to spend time with five-year-old daughter Makka: “I just live my life normal. Most of the time I stay at home, I don’t like to go out.”
English comedian and Liverpool fan John Oliver wrote about Salah in the magazine.
He declared: “Mo Salah is a better human being than he is a football player. And he’s one of the best football players in the world.
“You’d be hard-pressed to find a professional athlete in any sport less affected by their success or status than Mo, which is incredible because I can’t imagine the kind of pressure that comes with the intensity of adoration he receives.
“Mo is an iconic figure for Egyptians, Scousers and Muslims the world over, and yet he always comes across as a humble, thoughtful, funny man who isn’t taking any of this too seriously.
“As a footballer, he plays with an infectious joy. I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to be able to play as well as him, and watching his face light up after he does something incredible, you get the reassuring sense that it’s exactly as fun as you’d want it to be.
“I absolutely love him.”
