Mohamed Salah, Liverpool's Egyptian striker, has come under fire on social media after posting a photo showing his family and himself enjoying Christmas. Salah is a practicing Muslim, even performing the sujud (prayer position) when celebrating goals, which has helped him gain popularity in many Muslim countries.
However, on December 24, Salah posted the usual “Merry Christmas” photo with his wife, Magi, and their two daughters. And his feed was flooded with criticism.
It is not the first time Salah has posted Christmas greetings on social media, and every year he receives the same responses: many users say that, as a Muslim, he shouldn't do it. it is “an embarrassment to the Muslim world”, others say.
Many other uses defend him, arguing that Salah should be praised for celebrating Christmas so that his daughters don't feel left out, and have compared him to other Muslim players such as Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba or Lamine Yamal.
This year, Salah is stronger than ever, being the first player in Premier League history (since 1993) to score more than 10 goals (15 goals) before Christmas). Also play the Boxing Dayagainst Leicester.
His contract, however, expires in 2025 and he has shown his unease at Liverpool's silence on where he will be offered a contract renewal.
