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Egyptian soccer star’s village has mixed feelings about native son

The poor Egyptian village of Nagrig is internationally known for producing the famous soccer player Mo Salah, but its residents feel the benefits to the town haven't lived up to the hype.
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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.

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