LIVERPOOL – Liverpool star Mohamed Salah will be abstaining from food and drink for long hours before the epic Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid in Kiev, as he maintains his Ramadan fasting.
The 25-year-old is a devout Muslim and has been abstaining from food and drink since Ramadan began on May 16, TRT World reported Thursday.
About 1.8 billion Muslims around the world began the holy month of Ramadan last Wednesday, abstaining from food and drink during daylight hours.
Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to become closer to Allah through prayer, self-restraint, and good deeds.
Salah has been a critical part of Liverpool’s success this season, scoring 44 goals since joining the club from Roma.
Sunset in Kiev is expected to be around 30 minutes before kick-off on Saturday, allowing the Egyptian to refuel ahead of the Champions League final.
It’s reported that the fast ‘will not affect’ Salah in the Ukraine capital as he looks to add to his 44 goals in all competitions this season.
Liverpool Muslim star Mohamed Salah added a new trophy to his list of awards this year, as he was feted Sunday, May 13, with the Golden Boot for the Premier League’s top scorer, after finishing the season with 32 goals, setting a new scoring record.
The Egypt star also won the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year award in April.
Hailing from a Muslim-majority country, Salah is a devout Muslim who often prostrates to God on the field after scoring goals – a trend in sports that Egyptian players have started since 2006 during the African Cup of Nations in Egypt- hence nicknamed the ‘Prostrating Pharaohs’.
Earlier this year, the traveling Liverpool fans in the streets of a Portuguese city in midweek struck up a new chant to the tune of the 90s hit “Good Enough” by Dodgy with the line: “If he scores another few, then I’ll be Muslim too!”
A recent report by Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare) found that the success of Liverpool Muslim star Mohamed Salah has significantly decreased hate and race crimes in the English Premier League.