Egypt star Mohamed Salah statue ridiculed by football fans

Published on: 05 November 2018

A newly-unveiled statue of Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has left puzzled fans scratching their heads, while others ridiculed the artwork.

The sculpture of the Egypt international, which was shown at the World Youth Forum in his native country's Sharm el-Sheikh, comes after a bust of Cristiano Ronaldo was widely mocked.

Mo Salah

A statue of Cristiano Ronaldo previously attracted social media ridicule

It depicts Salah with his arms spread out in celebration, smiling and looking up into the sky. His arms, legs and torso appear disproportionately smaller when compared with the size of his head.

Some on social media have said the sculpture looks more like 1970s singer Leo Sayer, while others likened it to cartoon characters Beavis and Butt-Head and the character Marv Merchants from the Home Alone films.

Once you've seen it you can't unsee it. Mo Salah's statue is a dead ringer for Marv. pic.twitter.com/CCNyU1rEzW

— Jack (@cr0ssland) November 4, 2018

That new statue of Mo Salah looks familiar pic.twitter.com/W84D1nMZIk

— Jamés (@utdsupreme) November 4, 2018

Egyptian sculptor Mai Abdel Allah said she came up with the idea in 2016 and that the statue took a month to complete in the lead up to the youth forum.

She told the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper Salah was a symbol of excellence and an example to her country's youth.

Mo Salah

The statue is intended to depict Salah's goal celebrations

 

The artist said the piece depicted the footballer "opening his arms to the fans" - a celebration the star is known for.

She said it was "distinguished and executable".

The statue follows Ronaldo's at Madeira Airport, which eventually had to be destroyed and replaced after it made headlines around the world.

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