Mo Salah has always been reticent about making the kind of public pronouncements on Islam and the Middle East which might define him as a Muslim. His faith and his place are an intrinsic part of who he is, yet he has never wanted to be defined by them.
In his biography, Chasing Salah, extracts of which were published by Daily Mail Sport last year, author and journalist Simon Hughes describes how the player’s contribution to a magazine cover story article was contingent on the headline being made known to him and his agent, Ramy Abbas.
When the headline was revealed to be ‘The World’s Favourite Muslim’, Abbas declined on Salah’s behalf.