Mo molded by humble beginnings

Egypt's national hero hails from tiny village and remains grounded and true to his roots

TANTA, Egypt - Deep in Egypt's Nile Delta region, the children of Nagrig village have a clear goal in life: they want to become soccer stars like Mohamed Salah.

Salah (pictured), who hails from their village, has been a sensation in England since joining Liverpool - setting a new Premier League scoring record for a 38-game campaign with 32 goals.

In addition to grabbing the Golden Boot, Salah was named the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year, voted for by his fellow pros.

But a shoulder injury sustained in the Champions League final loss to Real Madrid has left Egyptians praying their star forward will be fit for the country's first World Cup appearance in 28 years.

The good news is that he is recovering very well and the Egyptian Football Federation said last week the injury will not keep him out for longer than three weeks, meaning he should be fit to play at least some part in the country's World Cup campaign.

The 25-year-old cemented his status as a national hero with his prominent role in qualifying and the team's coach, Argentine Hector Cuper, said the Pharaohs are banking on him in Russia.

Salah's presence in the national team, fitness permitting, fulfills two objectives, said sports analyst Yasser Ayoub.

"The first is his personal performance and the goals he can score, and the second is that his presence provides the team an opportunity because the opposing teams assign players to monitor Salah. With Salah on the pitch, the other teams will be as if they're missing players," said Ayoub.

Aware that his success has become an inspiration for children in Egypt and Africa, Salah addressed his young fans in his acceptance speech when he was crowned African player of the year in January. "Never stop dreaming, never stop believing," he told them.

In Nagrig as well as in Basyoun, the closest town, youth centers have been renamed after the Egyptian star.

While the house of the player's father, Salah Ghali, resembles others in the village, it was quieter: no-one was looking out of an open window, and no clothes hung from the house.

The village has been the focus of huge media interest as Salah has risen to superstardom, but family members at his house in Nagrig refused to talk to reporters "out of respect for his wishes".