Why does Mohamed Salah have "M.Salah" on his Liverpool shirt instead of just his surname?

He has been a prolific goalscorer for the Reds since he joined, and in the past few seasons has cemented himself as a club legend. When he does eventually leave Anfield, he will do so with a reputation akin to those of Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard.

Even this season, Salah has been on fire, scoring 32 goals in all competitions. Fans are now even asking manager Arne Slot to make him vice-captain, such has been his importance to the team.

There won’t be any questions about his performance”salah, that is for certain. However, questions might be raised off the pitch.

One of the most commonly asked questions is why the back of his Liverpool shirt has “M.Salah” written on it, rather than just his surname. It’s an interesting quirk because there isn’t another Salah at Anfield, and his brother Nasr is also not a professional footballer.

The reality has nothing to do with naming conventions - but more a touching tribute to his childhood idol.

Growing up, Salah’s hero was namesake Mohamed Aboutrika. The Egyptian international, who played mainly during the 2000s, was a midfielder who was extremely popular in Egypt, coming close to winning the vote for African Player of the Year on a handful of occasions.

Playing for domestic clubs such as Al Ahly FC, Tersana SC and FC Baniyas, he also wore his initial on the back of his shirt. In also putting the “M” on his shirt, Salah is simply paying homage to Aboutrika.

When Salah was at FC Basel, he even wore the number 22 shirt - the same number Aboutrika wore for club and country.