The king without a crown: Mohamed Salah's quest for global recognition

Egypt have reached the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history, with Mohamed Salah once again at the heart of their success. But while the Pharaohs have long embraced him as their greatest modern footballer, can this campaign persuade the rest of the world to view him the same way? There was once an Egyptian king who ruled on the banks of the River Mersey. For nine years, Liverpool’s faithful sang his name as Mohamed Salah cemented his place among the club’s greatest players. Back home, however, Salah never wore a crown. He carried something heavier — the hopes of a nation that had spent decades searching for a place among football’s elite. On Friday, in the city of Dallas, Texas, those hopes will accompany Egypt into unfamiliar territory. For the first time in their history, the Pharaohs will play a FIFA World Cup knockout match, with the man who conquered Anfield now attempting to add another defining chapter to a career that has already transformed Egyptian football. Egypt had never won a World Cup match before this tournament, let alone reached the knockout stages. That finally changed with a 3-1 victory over New Zealand. Draws against Belgium and Iran then saw the Pharaohs progress unbeaten into the last 32 for the first time in their history. At the heart of that historic run was Salah. Deployed in a freer, more central attacking role by head coach Hossam Hassan — himself an Egyptian great — the 34-year-old has been at the centre of almost everything the Pharaohs have done well, scoring, creating and thriving in a campaign that has already rewritten his country’s World Cup history. Yet, for all that Egypt have achieved in the United States, it is perhaps Salah’s legacy that stands to gain the most from the Pharaohs’ remarkable campaign. The 34-year-old left Liverpool this summer as one of the greatest players ever to represent the club, having won the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two League Cups while rewriting