May 26, 2018. Kiev, Ukraine. The noise is deafening as Liverpool and Real Madrid prepare to take the pitch and square off in one of the most anticipated Champions League finals ever. Mohamed Salah is about to take on Cristiano Ronaldo and prove that he deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence with the Portuguese grand master. Minute 26. Sergio Ramos grabs Mohamed Salah’s arm and pulls him to the ground. The Egyptian squeaks in pain, realizing the gravity of what had happened immediately. He tries to move on, but can’t. In tears, he leaves the field. The stadium is silent. What was supposed to be a football celebration suddenly turned into a day of mourning? With the World Cup just weeks away, fans worldwide were in despair. Europe’s player of the season was going to miss the summer’s main event, an event that’s never the same when a star is missing.
What happened that day was so painful that Sergio Ramos became enemy number one in the Arab world. A lawyer sued him for €1 billion and over 500.000 people signed a petition for UEFA to punish Real’s defender. Speculations regarding Salah’s health have abounded. Based on what was said and written, Liverpool’s ace could’ve missed anywhere from two weeks to four months. Mohamed Salah himself never lost faith:
Source: facebook.com
The initial diagnosis was a dislocated shoulder, an injury that realistically was supposed to keep him out of World Cup contention. It’s an injury that takes time to heal, at least three weeks to be more specific. But, (fortunately, there is a but) further analysis showed that Salah suffered nothing more than ligament damage that shouldn’t take that long to heal. Additionally, Mo will have some of the best experts available to him. They will do everything possible to expedite the recovery process and have Salah holding his hand on the chest while singing Egypt’s national anthem on June 15 in Yekaterinburg.
His latest Facebook post is encouraging as well:
The Egyptian’s dedication is well-documented. When it comes to his country, he’s even more relentless. As hurtful as the Champions League final incident was, as agonizing as the recovery process is, it will all become a bad memory if the “Egyptian King” manages to join his teammates and help them achieve something that The Pharaohs have never done – qualify for the second stage of a World Cup.
Good luck Mo! You deserve it.
