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The whole country wears jersey number 10 – such is the respect Egypt and Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah commands in his home country.
Match days involving Egypt at the ongoing Afcon tournament turn into a Mo Salah show – he even sticks out majestically on some of Cairo’s skyscrapers and his images adorn billboards.
The locals swear by the Afro-haired striker because they believe he is one in a million and a source of hope and inspiration in a country of 100 million inhabitants.
“We love Mo Salah. He is the king,” declared a teenager who only introduced himself as Mahmoud.
“The best players in the world are Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Mo Salah.”
Almost everyone holds the same view on Salah’s cult hero status.
His profile was further enhanced by the Uefa Champions League triumph on June 1 with Liverpool to cap a campaign in which he banged in 27 goals in 52 games across all competitions last season.
But there is Mahmoud Trézéguet, who is threatening to steal King Salah’s thunder – but that is a topic for another day. However, the virtually empty stadiums hosting some of the Afcon games contradict the Egyptians’ passion for the game.
They are not showing as much love to the other teams in the 24-nation competition, except when the Pharaohs – the hosts – are in action.
When asked, some locals cited the searing mid-summer temperature as a turn-off, but others were not even aware Afcon was in progress.
Egypt replaced Cameroon as hosts and the last-minute host status seems to be having an impact on attendance as there was not sufficient time to market the event. Fans are also required to apply for a “fan ID”, which is a prerequisite to book and purchase tickets.
The cheapest ticket sells for 100 Egyptian pounds (R84), but those for the hosts cost more.
“I buy tickets for Egypt and I can only see other teams when they play Egypt,” said Tarek Mohamed, who travels about 40km from Zamalek to join the sea of red that packs the iconic Cairo International Stadium to the rafters for the games involving Egypt.
Long queues start snaking into the multipurpose complex hours before the official opening of the gates.
Egypt have already confirmed their place in the knockout stage and will meet Uganda at the same venue tonight.
Off the pitch, there is a monster in the form of regular traffic congestion on the streets of Africa’s largest city.
If there’s one commitment one can’t make in Cairo, it is to tell someone that you’ll meet them in no time. Ten minutes can easily become 20 or more regardless of how close you are to your destination, especially downtown, the urban centre of Cairo.
“Heavy traffic is our everyday life,” a local Uber driver, Mostafa Yousry, tells me on our trip from Cairo Stadium to my hotel, which is also Bafana Bafana’s base.
Discounting traffic, the distance between these two locations should take about 10 minutes, but it sometimes takes up to 35 minutes.
Sometimes a trip is made even longer when you are aboard a taxi whose driver can’t speak English, just like many of their compatriots.
It can even be more frustrating when clarity is needed at a pick-up location.
Yousry is an exception, though. He is multilingual. He is not only fluently conversant in the Queen’s language, but he can also speak a bit of German and Italian. He explains that the main artery connecting the airport and downtown – Salah Salem road – is the busiest route.
There is also the 6 October Bridge when heading towards the Nile River, where its congestion during the day is as bad as it is at midnight.
Hooters scream from all directions on many occasions as reckless driving and speeding are the order of the day.
Just don’t occupy the front seat unless you are a motorsport freak or you are fascinated by stunts.
Enough on traffic.
Yousry changes the subject to the other pastimes that makes him and his compatriots happy.
“Apart from football, volleyball and handball are popular sports,” he says, revealing that he is also a volleyball player and coach.
Cairo enjoys the luxury of sports complexes that have almost every amenity – from a bowling arena to a swimming pool.
This also explains why Egyptian powerhouses Al Ahly and Zamalek are more than just football clubs – they have other sporting codes such as basketball within their structures.
So in the end, not everything is just about Mo Salah.
