Liverpool’s Mo Salah has been subject to the honour of a statue being crafted in his honour but, like Cristiano Ronaldo before him, it hasn’t been rated too highly by the public.
The statue, which has been put on display in Sharm el-Sheik in his home country of Egypt, shows the Reds’ goalscorer with his arms aloft in a celebration that’s now become something of a trademark for him.
Salah, who scored a record 32 Premier League games in his first season in the English game last term, has been recreated by the Egyptian sculpture Mia Abdel Allah.
“I found it is distinguished and executable,” she said of his celebration, according to the Egypt Independent, at the World Youth Forum where the work was unveiled.
Salah has reached superstar status in his homeland, where his exploits in the European game are closely observed. It was a goal of his, from the penalty spot, that put them through to this summer’s World Cup.
He’s since had a well-publicised falling out with his national association and was rumoured to be considering retiring from international duty earlier this year.
Social media has reacted typically unforgivingly to the supposed loose likeness, and the artist has not been allowed much creative license, but instead the work has been compared to the infamous bust of Ronaldo which was unveiled in his home of Madeira, Portugal, earlier this year and subject to the same sort of ridicule.
Have a look at the statue and some of the best reactions to it below.
