Egyptian professional footballer, Mohamed Salah, is GQ’s Middle East cover star for its latest issue, his very first GQ cover.

Celebrating Salah’s journey to the status of a cultural icon, the interview reveals how the 26-year old footballer came from humble beginnings in Egypt to learn his trade in Europe and becoming one of the world’s most well-known football stars in the process.

In the feature, Salah reveals how he felt after being awarded his first contract.

He said;

“In that period, I decided that I must become a professional footballer.

“It was an opportunity I wasn’t going to waste. That was one of my first big decisions: don’t let this slip from your hands.”

He also spoke about how his father contributed to his success.

“I would complain that I didn’t want to travel [the four hours] to training. But he stood by me and told me that all great players go through this,” he recalled.

“The price for him was very high, and I’ll never forget the role he played in my career.”

On becoming a Liverpool icon, Salah said: “it makes me want to work harder and to continue performing.”

“Because after that, if your standards drop, people will not accept it. It’s a great feeling, but I don’t see it as more pressure,” he added.

Salah also advised young footballers hoping to follow in his path.

He said;

“For me, nothing was going to come easily… nothing good ever does. I went through every possible stage a footballer could go through.

“Moving from an Arab country to Europe, you feel the difference in everything from the standard of living to food, to communication.

“You don’t know what to do, after that you become organised because you want to reach your goals. If you don’t try then you will always stay at home. I’m not belittling that at all, if that’s what you want, then that’s okay too.”

26-year-old Salah is considered the world’s fourth most expensive player from a transfer value perspective by the CIES