Mohamed Salah, left, is down to the final months of his contract at Liverpool. Reuters
Mohamed Salah, left, is down to the final months of his contract at Liverpool. Reuters

Sports minister wants to see ‘most high profile Muslim player’ Mohamed Salah play in Saudi Arabia



Saudi Arabia's sports minster Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said he would love to see Mohamed Salah play in his country – and that it was up to Saudi Pro League clubs to be ready with an offer.

In a wide-ranging interview with Piers Morgan, Prince Abdulaziz praised the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo since joining Al Nassr two years ago and revealed a winter World Cup in 2034 is “a debate that we’re still having with Fifa”.

Salah has been in sensational form for Liverpool this season but is out of contract in the summer. The Egyptian forward, 32, has long been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League, with Prince Abdulaziz rating him as among the best players in the world.

“He's the most high profile Muslim player in the world. He's arguably one of the best two or three players in the world. He hasn't signed a new contract yet. Is he? Is he the big prize?” the Saudi royal said in an interview aired on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel on Thursday.

Salah has said on multiple occasions he expects this season to be his last at Anfield. On January 3, Salah said he and the English club are “far away from any progress” over a contract extension.

The longer the impasse, the more the speculation will grow that Salah is set to end his near seven-year stay on Merseyside.

Asked whether signing Salah would be a coup for Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdulaziz said: “Well, definitely, because if he ticks all the right boxes, even for us, we'd love to have him. He's, you know, he's Egyptian, and we have a very good relationship, and we feel like we are one with the Egyptians as well, from our culture and our history and so on.

"So to have Mo Salah or other players that are good role models would be, you know, a pleasure and a privilege to have in the Saudi League. Will it happen or not? That's up to the clubs to decide and to see what negotiations go on."

Salah has once again been in sensational form for Liverpool this season, scoring 23 goals and 17 assists so far this term in all competitions as the Reds sit top of the Premier League, are through to the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League and are still involved in both domestic cup competitions.

As the sole bidder, Saudi Arabia was in December awarded the right to host the 2034 men’s World Cup by Fifa. Asked about the scheduling of the tournament, Prince Abdulaziz said: “That’s a debate that we’re still having with Fifa, and I’m sure that the ultimate goal would be: ‘What would be the best experience for the fans to come and attend?’”

He pointed to the “success” of Qatar in staging a winter World Cup in November and December 2022, which required many European leagues to take a mid-season break. “Everyone went on with their business, and it didn’t affect anyone in a big way,” he said.

It was an explosive interview conducted with Piers Morgan in November 2022 that set in motion his exit from Manchester United. The Portuguese superstar openly criticised then-United manager Erik ten Hag, saying he had "no respect for him" as well as the club's owners. He had his contract at Old Trafford terminated soon after.

That paved the way for one of the most earth-shattering transfers in history in January 2023 when the former Real Madrid striker signed an 18-month contract with Saudi giants Al Nassr.

The news shook the football world, and paved the world for a host of other stars to follow in Ronaldo's footsteps and move to the kingdom.

Prince Abdulaziz jokingly thanked Morgan for that Ronaldo interview, before saying: "He's an exceptional athlete, and he's an exceptional role model ... we saw that the first day he came."

He added: "And I think that's the best role model that you can have for the youth that even though you've won it all, he has won everything, and he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone, but he still has that fire within him to move on and to develop and to keep on giving."

Updated: January 31, 2025, 8:38 AM