NAGRIG, Egypt — It takes two and a half hours on a rutted dirt track from Cairo to reach Nagrig, a village in the heart of Basyoun in Gharbia Governorate. There is no sign at the entrance of the small town, so a non-local might just pass through it. In the last few months, however, the residents of the nearby villages have grown accustomed to seeing people, some foreigners sporting cameras, asking for directions to Nagrig. Whenever someone stops to get directions, locals now ask: “Are you heading to the village of Mohammad Salah?”
Egyptian soccer player Mo Salah, England’s Liverpool star and best player in the Champions League, brought fame to his hometown of Nagrig. Today, it has become known by many in Egypt and around the world. But the village's reality is a far cry from how it has been portrayed in the media.
“Is this Mo Salah’s hometown?” a puzzled-looking foreign journalist asked a police officer. “Yes, madam, it is,” came the reply. No posters or photo of the young soccer player adorn the walls or the shop windows at the entrance of the village.
The buildings are dilapidated, and evidence of poverty is everywhere. The passion for the “son of Nagrig” propagated in the media is not apparent in the village. Foreign and local media outlets say that the “Egyptian King,” as he's nicknamed by Liverpool fans, has helped bring a facelift to his hometown. In reality, say residents, everything is much the same.
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