Liverpool's Egyptian king Mohamed Salah has been named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world for 2019. Featuring as one of six cover options, Salah joins Taylor Swift, Dwayne Johnson, Sandra Oh, Gayle King and Nancy Pelosi in fronting the iconic edition.
Some six-a-side team that. Salah getting in behind off of The Rock's flick ons. Classic big-man-little-man pairing. Anyway, Salah is just one of five sports people on the list and one of two footballers, alongside LeBron James (basketball), Tiger Woods (golf), Caster Semenya (athletics) and Alex Morgan (also football). Salah notched the all important goal that took Egypt to the World Cup in Russia, as well as scoring 44 goals for Liverpool last season, but his influence is so much more than just putting smiles on the faces of scousers.
Time 100 alumnus (2015), comedian and Liverpool fan John Oliver wrote of Salah's inclusion: "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."
Long live the king.
