Why Mohamed Salah doesn’t use his full name as question marks over his Liverpool future continue
The future of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool is in doubt following his outburst against Arne Slot. If he does stay, however, he won’t be sporting his family name on his shirt.
Despite his full name being Mohamed Salah Ghaly, the back of his jersey simply reads ‘M. Salah’. This is due to a tradition rooted in Arab culture.
Mohamed is the name used by those close to him, while Salah is actually his father’s first name. In Egypt, it’s customary to use the father’s name as a ‘middle’ name to denote lineage.
Ghaly is his family name, which is used on all official documents. Following his explosive post-match interview at Leeds United, where he was benched for the third consecutive game, it’s possible that his full name could soon be signed on a contract with a new club.
His rant, in which he claimed to have no relationship with Slot and said he’d been “thrown under the bus”, resulted in him being left out of the squad for Liverpool’s Champions League match against Inter Milan.
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In the now notorious interview, Salah expressed his desire to bid farewell to Liverpool fans against Brighton on Saturday prior to joining up with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Salah had looked set to miss the Brighton clash, with Liverpool wary of staging an emotional send-off at Anfield that could confirm his departure and weaken their negotiating position. However, following face-to-face talks with Slot, he is set to return to the squad after all.
Slot had previously insisted he was willing to rebuild their relationship, as long as Salah showed similar willingness. Following the victory over Inter, the manager told Prime Video: “First you have to ask if the player feels he made a mistake. I’m going to talk to him. But then you have to ask, should the initiative come from me?”
During his subsequent press briefing, Slot walked back those remarks somewhat, adding: “I didn’t say who should make the first step.
“Tonight, it should be all about the players that are here. In the rich history Liverpool has had, they have had many of these evenings.”
Meanwhile, Dominik Szoboszlai maintains Salah has every right to chart his own course regarding his future and stressed the saga hasn’t disrupted personal relationships within the dressing room.
The Hungarian midfielder said: “I’m very close with him. It’s him and his own choice with what he is doing with his own life and his own career. It’s nothing to do with the players, I guess, so nothing to say about it.”
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
