Mohamed Salah

For the Egyptian football manager, see Mohamed Salah (coach).
Mohamed Salah

Salah playing for Chelsea in 2014
Personal information
Full nameMohamed Salah Ghaly[1]
Date of birth15 June 1992
Place of birthBasyoun, El Gharbia, Egypt
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Playing positionWinger
Club information
Current team
Fiorentina
(on loan from Chelsea)
Number74
Youth career
2006–2010El Mokawloon
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2010–2012El Mokawloon41(11)
2012–2014Basel47(9)
2014–Chelsea13(2)
2015–→ Fiorentina (loan)10(4)
National team‡
2010–2011Egypt U2011(3)
2011–2012Egypt U2311(4)
2011–Egypt36(20)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 March 2015

Mohamed Salah Ghaly (Egyptian Arabic: مـحمـد صـلاح; born 15 June 1992) is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays for Italian club Fiorentina, on loan from English club Chelsea, and the Egypt national team as a winger.

As well as representing the Egyptian national team at an early age, he also participated in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2012 Summer Olympics. He won the Swiss Super League in his first season with Basel, and was awarded the CAF Most Promising African Talent of the Year in 2012.[3] In 2013, he was awarded the SAFP Golden Player award for being the best player in the Swiss Super League.[4]

Club career

El Mokawloon

Salah played his youth football with El Mokawloon. He played his debut in their senior team in the Egyptian Premier League being substituted in on 3 May 2010 in the 1–1 away draw against El Mansoura. During the 2010–11 season Salah advanced and became a regular in the team. He scored his first goal for them on 25 December 2010 during the 1–1 away draw against El Ahly. He remained a regular for El Mokawloon, appearing in every game of the 2011–12 season. However, following the Port Said Stadium disaster, early February 2012, the Egyptian Premier League stopped and all subsequent matches were postponed. On 10 March 2012, the Egyptian Football Association announced their decision to cancel the remainder of the season.[5]

Basel

2012–13 season

Salah playing for Basel away at Zenit St Petersburg in the UEFA Europa League in March 2013

Swiss Super League club Basel had been monitoring Salah for some time, and after the Port Said Stadium disaster the club organised a friendly match with the Egypt U-23 team. This match took place on 16 March in the Stadion Rankhof, in Basel, and despite Salah only playing during the second half, he scored twice. The game ended in a 4–3 win for the Egypt U-23 team.[6] Basel subsequently invited Salah to remain in the city for a week's training. On 10 April 2012, it was announced that Salah had signed for Basel on a four-year contract starting from 15 June 2012.[7][8]

Salah scored on his unofficial debut on 23 June 2012 against Steaua Bucureşti during a friendly match, a 4–2 defeat. He made his official Basel debut in a UEFA Champions League preliminary stage match against the Norwegian club Molde on 8 August, coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute. He made his league debut on 12 August against Thun, playing the full match. He scored his first league goal a week later, the second goal in the 2–0 home win against Lausanne. Salah scored his first Europa League goal in the quarter-finals on 11 April 2013, as Basel advanced to the semi-finals by beating Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 on penalties after a 4–4 aggregate draw.[9] In the semi-final on 2 May, Salah scored against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, although they were beaten 2–5 on aggregate.[10] Despite late disappointment in Europe, Basel comfortably won the Swiss Super League season 2012–13 Championship title[11] and finished runners-up in the Swiss Cup.[12]

2013–14 season

To the start of the 2013–14 Swiss Super League season Salah was member of the Basel team that won the 2013 Uhrencup.[13] Salah scored on his first league appearance against Aarau on 13 July 2013.[14]

He scored his first Champions League goal a month later against Maccabi Tel Aviv on 6 August 2013 in the third qualifying round.[15] Before the first leg on 30 July 2013, Salah did not take part in the UEFA-mandated pre-match handshakes with Maccabi players. Basel called the incident a "coincidence" and said it was not intended as a snub. Salah was on pressure from several Egyptian voices demanding from him not to travel to Israel and then criticizing his visit. On the return leg in Tel Aviv, he took part in the handshake line, but offered fist bumps rather than an open hand to Maccabi players.[16]

He scored twice against the Bulgarian league champions PFC Ludogorets Razgrad on 21 August 2013 in the play-off round.[17] On 18 September 2013, Salah scored the equalizer against Chelsea in the 2–1 away win during the group stage, During the return tie on 26 November at the St. Jakob-Park, Salah scored the winning goal as Basel beat Chelsea for the second time with a 1–0 home win.[18]

Chelsea

2013–14 season

Salah's 2013–14 shirt in Chelsea's dressing room

On 23 January 2014, Chelsea announced that a deal had been agreed with Basel to bring Salah to London for a fee reported to be in the region of £11 million.[19] On 26 January 2014, Chelsea announced they had completed the signing of Salah, making him the first Egyptian to sign for the Stamford Bridge club.[20] On 8 February 2014, Salah made his debut for Chelsea in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute, in the 3–0 win over Newcastle United.[21] On 22 March 2014, Salah scored his first goal for Chelsea against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the London Derby, coming on as a substitute for Oscar, in a match which ended a 6–0 win for the Blues.[22] On 5 April 2014, Salah opened the scoring and later won a penalty and an assist in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Stoke City.[23]

2014–15 season

Salah playing for Chelsea away at Tottenham Hotspur on 1 January 2015

Before the season, his future with Chelsea looked to be in a balance after reports suggested he could be forced to return to Egypt to carry out military service after his registration for an education scheme rescinded by the Egyptian Minister of Higher Education.[24] Later, it was reported that he has been spared of military service after the meeting with the Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, the Minister of Higher Education and the Egyptian national manager Shawky Gharib.[25] Salah changed squad numbers from 15 to 17 for the start of the 2014–15 season, with his new number having been vacated by Eden Hazard changing to number 10.[26]

Salah's season debut came against Swansea City on 13 September 2014, playing the last eight minutes of Chelsea's 4−2 home win in place of Cesc Fàbregas.[27] He made his first start of the season at home to Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the League Cup on 24 September, featuring in a 2–1 win.[28]

Loan to Fiorentina

On transfer deadline, 2 February 2015, Chelsea confirmed that Salah would play for the Italian club Fiorentina on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season as part of a transfer deal which saw Juan Cuadrado moving in the opposite direction.[29][30] Six days after signing, he made his Fiorentina debut coming off the bench in the 65th minute as a replacement for Joaquín in a 3−2 Serie A victory against Atalanta at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.[31]

Salah made his first start for Fiorentina on 14 February against Sassuolo, scoring his first goal for the club in the 30th minute. He then provided an assist to Khouma Babacar just two minutes after scoring; the match ended in a 3−1 win for Fiorentina.[32] Twelve days after that, Salah scored his first European goal for Fiorentina, as his side advanced to the Round of 16 of the Europa League, beating Tottenham 3−1 on aggregate.[33][34] Salah scored the winning goal for Fiorentina against Internazionale on 1 March, his third goal in Serie A.[35] Four days after that, Salah scored both of Fiorentina's goals in their 2–1 win away to Juventus in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg.[36]

International career

Salah (left) playing against Tunisia in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match

Salah made 11 appearances for the Egypt U-20 team and Egypt U-23 team, representing Egypt in both 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2012 Summer Olympics, scoring in all three of the team's group matches in the latter tournament, helping them to the quarter-finals.

On 3 September 2011, Salah made his debut for the Egypt national football team in the 2–1 away defeat by Sierra Leone. He scored his first goal for Egypt's first team in the 3–0 win against Niger one month later. He later scored a goal in the 93rd minute in stoppage time against Guinea to give Egypt an important 3–2 away victory in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.

On 9 June 2013, Salah scored a hat-trick and registered an assist in a 4–1 win against Zimbabwe as Egypt won their fourth consecutive match in the World Cup qualifiers. In the following match, he scored the goal that sealed qualification for Egypt. Salah later scored his sixth goal in a qualification match to the joint-top scorer among all African teams in the qualification stages.

Style of play

A tactical player, Salah is known for his blistering pace to beat opponents, flair, ball control and creation of scoring opportunities. He primarily plays a winger, though he can play in the hole behind the striker. He has been dubbed as the "Egyptian Messi". Upon signing for Chelsea, José Mourinho said of Salah: "He's young, he's fast, he's creative, he's enthusiastic. When we analysed him he looks the kind of humble personality on the pitch, ready to work for the team."[37] Mourinho went on to say that Salah has "similar qualities" such as "talented players like Oscar, Robben".[38]

Career statistics

Club

As of 4 April 2015.[39]
Club Season Division League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Basel 2012–13 Swiss Super League 295631424910
2013–14 184111052910
Total479742477820
Chelsea 2013–14 Premier League 10210—112
2014–15 30202070
Total1323020182
Fiorentina 2014–15 Serie A 741241127
Total741241127
Career total 67 15 11 6 30 8 108 29

International goals

Scores and results list Egypt's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 8 October 2011 Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt  Niger 2–0 3–0 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification
2 27 February 2012 Al-Gharafa Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Kenya 1–0 5–0 Friendly
3 29 March 2012 Khartoum Stadium, Khartoum, Sudan  Uganda 1–1 2–1 Friendly
4 31 March 2012 Khartoum Stadium, Khartoum, Sudan  Chad 1–0 4–0 Friendly
5 22 May 2012 Al-Merrikh Stadium, Omdurman, Sudan  Togo 2–0 3–0 Friendly
6 3–0
7 10 June 2012 Stade 28 Septembre, Conakry, Guinea  Guinea 3–2 3–2 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
8 15 June 2012 Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt  Central African Republic 2–1 2–3 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification
9 6 February 2013 Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain  Chile 1–2 1–2 Friendly
– 22 March 2013 Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt  Swaziland 2–0 10–0 Unofficial friendly[40]
– 3–0
10 9 June 2013 National Sports Stadium, Harare, Zimbabwe  Zimbabwe 2–1 4–2 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
11 3–1
12 4–2
13 16 June 2013 Estádio da Machava, Maputo, Mozambique  Mozambique 1–0 1–0 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
14 14 August 2013 El Gouna Stadium, El Gouna, Egypt  Uganda 2–0 3–0 Friendly
15 10 September 2013 El Gouna Stadium, El Gouna, Egypt  Guinea 3–2 4–2 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
16 5 March 2014 Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck, Austria  Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–0 2–0 Friendly
17 30 May 2014 Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago, Chile  Chile 1–0 2–3 Friendly
18 10 October 2014 National Stadium, Gaborone, Botswana  Botswana 2–0 2–0 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification
19 15 October 2014 Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt  Botswana 2–0 2–0 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification
20 19 November 2014 Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet, Monastir, Tunisia  Tunisia 1–0 1–2 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification

Honours

Basel

Chelsea

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Mohamed Salah". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Player Profile: Mohamed Salah". chelseafc.com.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Toure wins his second African Player of the Year Award - Football News - CAF". Cafonline.com. 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  4. ↑ http://www.goldenplayer.ch/winners-20122013
  5. ↑ "Egypt's Premier League cancelled". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 10 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  6. ↑ Marti, Caspar (2012). "Munteres Testspiel gegen Ägyptens Olympia-Auswahl endet 3:4" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  7. ↑ FC Basel 1893 (2012). "Der FCB verpflichtet den ägyptischen Nationalspieler Mohamed Salah" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  8. ↑ Ahmed Abd El Rasoul (2012). "Egypt rising star Salah officially joins FC Basel". Ahram Online. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "Basel break Spurs' hearts from the spot". Uefa. 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  10. ↑ Haylett, Trevor (2013). "Basel take heart after Chelsea defeat". Eufa. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Schifferle, Michael (2013). "Season review: Switzerland". Eufa. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  12. ↑ SFV (2013). "Telegramm Schweizer Cup Final" (in German). Schweizerischer Fussballverband. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  13. ↑ Marti, Caspar (2013). "Der FCB gewinnt den Uhrencup 2013 mit einem Sieg gegen Roter Stern Belgrad" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2013-07-08.
  14. ↑ "Basel v Aarau Match preview - Goal.com". Goal.com. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Maccabi revival comes too late to halt Basel". uefa.com. UEFA. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Sam Wallace (24 January 2014). "Mohamed Salah and the Maccabi Tel Aviv handshake furore surrounding Chelsea's latest signing - Premier League - Football". The Independent.
  17. ↑ "Basel take charge against Ludogorets". uefa.com. UEFA. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  18. ↑ "Basel FC BS Chelsea Group Stage Match Report". uefa.com. UEFA. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Mohamed Salah: Chelsea agree deal to sign Basel midfielder". BBC Sport. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  20. ↑ "Salah Move Completed". Chelseafc.com. 2014-01-18. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  21. ↑ "Chelsea 3-0 Newcastle". SkySports. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  22. ↑ "Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal". BBC Sports. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  23. ↑ "MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 3 STOKE CITY 0". Chelsea F.C. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  24. ↑ "Chelsea midfielder Mohamed Salah ‘could be forced into military service by Egyptian government’". Metro.co.uk. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  25. ↑ "Mohamed Salah: Chelsea midfielder will NOT have to serve military service after Egyptian Prime Minister steps". The Independent. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  26. ↑ "Squad number changes". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  27. ↑ "Diego Costa scored his first Chelsea hat-trick as they came from behind to beat Swansea and maintain their 100% start to the Premier League season.". BBC Sport. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  28. ↑ "Capital One Cup: Chelsea beat Bolton 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to reach fourth-round". Sky Sports. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  29. ↑ "Salah to Fiorentina on loan". The Independent. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  30. ↑ "Salah completed Fiorentina loan". Chelsea FC. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  31. ↑ "Fiorentina 3−2 Atalanta". ESPN. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  32. ↑ "Chelsea's Mohamed Salah shines for Fiorentina by leading them to a 3-1 win over Sassuolo to help Champions League chase". Daily Mail online. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  33. ↑ "Gómez and Salah scores as Fiorentina eliminate Spurs". EuroSport. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  34. ↑ "UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw". UEFA.com. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  35. ↑ "Inter Milan 0-1 Fiorentina: Chelsea loanee Mohamed Salah nets second-half winner for visitors as their rich vein of form continues". Daily Mail online. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  36. ↑ "Juventus 1-2 Fiorentina: Salah double gives Viola vital victory". Goal.com. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  37. ↑ "Salah deal 'influenced by Mata move'". ESPN. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  38. ↑ "Mourinho confirms Salah". Telegraph. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  39. ↑ "Mohamed Salah". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  40. ↑ "FIXTURES AND RESULTS". fifa.com. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  41. ↑ "MOHAMED SALAH ADMITS THREE TIMES". football.ch/. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  42. ↑ "2014 World Cup Qualifying - Africa Stats: Top Goal Scorers - 2013". espnfc.com/. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

External links

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