Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah returned from the club’s away trip to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday to find out that his home has been burgled.
Salah’s villa in Cairo, Egypt was broken into by miscreants when his family were away. His nephew returned on Sunday to find the place ransacked and alerted the authorities to the incident that has thrown the forward’s family back in Egypt into confusion and fear for their safety.
The incident happened barely 24 hours after the captain of the Egypt national team returned from Bournemouth where his side unfortunately were unable to come away with anything.
The police, after receiving the call from Salah’s nephew, rushed to the scene and in their investigations, noted that a few items were missing.
The source that revealed the incident to Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram said: “The surrounding surveillance cameras are being unloaded, and the security personnel in charge of securing the place are being interrogated.
“The security services are intensifying their efforts to solve the mystery of the incident, and the necessary legal measures have been taken.”
Salah’s nephew is said to have contacted the police after returning and finding one of the windows in the house open. There has been no news of what exactly has been taken from the villa except some electrical appliances and home devices. The incident, however, has been described as a sad one because of Salah’s stature in Egypt.
As captain of the national team, the Liverpool forward is one of their biggest national icons and is revered as a king in Egypt. His impressive performances in Europe for both AS Roma and especially Liverpool have led to him achieving this status in the country.
One Premier League title, one UEFA Champions League title and one FIFA Club World Cup has seen him idolised among the football-mad population of Egypt and beyond that demographic.
He also led their charge to return to the global stage after 28 years, scoring almost all the goals that helped them qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He also led them back to relevance in the African continent, taking them back to the finals of the African Cup of Nations last year.
The police have assured the Salah family that they will find the perpetrators and bring them to book, but it is unknown how it will affect the player whose form and mindset is key to how Liverpool play in all competitions.
Jurgen Klopp cannot afford to lose Salah, who is their leading goalscorer in all competitions this season as usual.
Despite their setbacks this season, the former FC Basel forward has delivered to the best of his ability in line with what the team have been able to muster. Their top four race is back on and they are looking to muster some spirit to upset Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu come Tuesday.
