SunSport sent two Egyptian journalists to Salah’s hometown of Nagrig, Gharbia, 80 miles north of capital Cairo, to meet the people who helped shape Salah – and learn stories of the generosity that has seen the forward donate hundreds of thousands of pounds to improve the lives of people who live there.
An image of a medical centre being built in the village, paid for by Mohamed Salah’s charitable foundation
Born to an average family in Gharbia Province, Mohamed Salah’s dreams had no limits.
The Egpytian star, 25, has had to take a nomadic path to the top – via stops in Basel, London, Rome and now Merseyside – before becoming the superstar we see today.
He has thrilled fans this season with his massive goal haul for Liverpool, leading Jurgen Klopp’s men to the Champions League semi-final.
But Salah, who earns £90,000-a-week and has a price-tag of at least £200million, has never forgotten where he came from – spending hundreds of thousands of pounds working to improve the lives of people he left behind in Nagrig.
The house where Salah grew up, a three-storey walk-up that is no longer occupied
Growing up in a modest three-storey house, a stone’s throw from a football pitch, Salah was the eldest of four children.
His parents both worked government jobs, while his father also traded in Jasmine, the white flower that covers the surrounding countryside.
Salah has more money then many of us can dream about but he has used it to positively influence hundreds of lives in his hometown.
Stories of his generosity are never-ending.
A construction worker poses for a picture at the hospital
Salah has also paid for a range of medical equipment and supplies – one machine he bought serves 50 patients every day
He paid for the first ambulance in the area and has bought expensive medical equipment that helps dozens of people every day.
His charity also provides much-needed supplies to a number of families, with the star spending up to £3,500 monthly to support them.
The Liverpool star is even funding construction of a youth centre, girls’ school and medical centre.
In his hometown he has earned the nickname ‘happiness maker’.
Salah’s first move after joining Liverpool was to place $300,000 (approx. £210,000) into the Tahya Masr (Long Live Egpyt) fund, after meeting president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.
The building will mean local girls will no longer have to get a bus out of town to learn
Salah spends £3,500 every month helping people in his village, buying food and supplies
To ensure donations were getting to the right people, Salah has set up his own charity in Nagrig.
SunSport travelled to meet Maher Shatiyah, board manager of the Mohamed Salah Charity Foundation, and also the Mayor of Nagrig.
“Salah is a refined person who, despite his popularity, has never forgotten about his town,” Shatiyah told us.
“[He has provided] many forms of assistance, the first of which was a series of foodstuff outlets under the municipality’s management, as well as the town’s first ambulance unit.”
A boy in a ‘Salah 11’ shirt plays on the pitch at the sports centre
An image of Mohamed Ayyad Al-Tantawy school, where Salah was educated – Salah paid for the installation of an all-weather pitch and bought gym equipment for students
Shatiyah added: “Salah had always subsisted unable fellow villagers, but wanted to [formalise] that assistance.
“The establishment of the charity caters for a larger number of families, [he spends between] £2,000 and £3,500 monthly.”
Salah’s charity is also planning to establish a services complex as well as a fully-equipped medical clinic.
On a 1,500 square-metre plot of land, the foundation is busy building a school for girls.
Salah pictured with mayor Maher Shatiyah, who also runs his charitable foundation
