Mo Salah is not the only Egyptian making in the headlines this season, as Omar Marmoush has been setting the German Bundesliga on fire as well.
This is drawing some obvious comparisons, and one of them has had enough.
Do not compare Omar Marmoush with me, says Mo Salah
Speaking recently at the Sharjah International Book Fair in the UAE during the ongoing international break, Liverpool forward Mo Salah discussed, among other things, the comparisons that were being drawn between him and his compatriot with a rising star, Omar Marmoush, and admitted that he wished that were not the case.
“There are not many players from Egypt and the Arab countries who went to Europe and fought for success, and Marmoush is one of them. I see that he has great potential, he is an important player for his team and the national team, I want to stay away from him the idea of comparisons to make his life easier.
“I want people to stop comparing him to me, by saying that he will be the new Salah and will do what he did and overcome, that will put him under pressure all the time and does not help the player.
“It will put him in comparison with a player who has been very successful over the past years, but he is still starting his career. Let him live his experience and be happy with it, comparisons will not help him, let him do something of his own and in his direction away from my career.”
Salah on Marmoush, as quoted by Liverpool Echo.
Marmoush has been attracting eyes of the European big-hitters with his performances for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, having already registered 14 goals and 10 assists in 16 games across all competitions. Liverpool are one of many teams monitoring him, with Marmoush keen on joining the Premier League before Salah leaves.
The 25-year-old is valued by Transfermarkt at €40 million, with his €1.6m-per-year contract at Frankfurt running until June 2027.
Salah, meanwhile, is himself subject of transfer speculation, with no concrete news on the horizon regarding a new contract as his current one expires next June. The veteran Egyptian will be free to talk to other clubs come January.
Salah is absolutely right
Salah is a veteran Egyptian forward, already one of the all-time greats. Marmoush is an up-and-coming Egyptian forward entering his prime years. The comparison are unhelpful, yes, as Salah hints, but also inevitable.
Just ask Bojan Krkić and Ansu Fati and many other players who were touted as “the next Leo Messi”—these comparisons were an exceptionally great player did them no favours, and seldom we see players burdened with such comparisons reach the expected heights, which is very much an exception to the rule—just like it was with Messi and Diego Maradona.
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The onus will be on Marmoush, however. He cannot stop people from talking, and neither can Salah. He can, however, try to perform despite the noise and see where his career takes him.
