Fans from all over the world – some dressed as pharaohs – consoled Mohamed Salah with personal birthday wishes in a Moscow fan zone, after he marked his 26th sat on the bench during Egypt’s last-gasp defeat to Uruguay.
After a spectacular season, Salah suffered a heart-breaking shoulder injury during Liverpool’s Champions League final with Liverpool, which his team lost.
Egypt announced that he would be recovered for his team’s first match, but that appeared to have been a ploy, and it is now not clear how much Salah will feature at Russia 2018.