The future of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool remains uncertain following his explosive outburst against manager Arne Slot.
If he does stay, however, fans won’t see his full family name on the back of his shirt.
Despite his full name being Mohamed Salah Ghaly, his jersey simply reads “M. Salah,” a tradition rooted in Arab culture.
“Mohamed” is the name used by those close to him, while “Salah” is actually his father’s first name.
In Egypt, it is customary to use the father’s name as a middle name to denote lineage.
“Ghaly” is his family name, used on all official documents.
Following his post-match interview at Leeds United, where he was benched for the third consecutive game, it is possible that his full name could soon appear on a contract with a new club.
In the interview, Salah claimed he had no relationship with Slot and said he had been “thrown under the bus.”
The comments led to him being left out of Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League match against Inter Milan.
Salah also expressed his desire to bid farewell to Liverpool fans against Brighton on Saturday before joining up with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Initially, Salah looked set to miss the Brighton clash, with Liverpool wary of staging an emotional send-off at Anfield that could confirm his departure and weaken the club’s negotiating position.
However, after face-to-face talks with Slot, he is now expected to return to the squad.
Slot had previously stated that he was willing to rebuild their relationship, provided Salah showed a similar willingness.
Following the victory over Inter, the manager told Prime Video: “First, you have to ask if the player feels he made a mistake. I’m going to talk to him. But then you have to ask, should the initiative come from me?”
During his subsequent press briefing, Slot clarified his remarks, adding: “I didn’t say who should make the first step.
“Tonight, it should be all about the players that are here. In the rich history Liverpool has had, they have had many of these evenings.”
Read more: Arne Slot has not ‘enjoyed’ the past week at Liverpool following Mohamed Salah’s bombshell interview
Exclusive: Salah in Line for Brighton Clash Amid AFCON Departure
‘Useless question’ – Arne Slot shuts down query on relationship with Mohamed Salah