Salah on Verge of Becoming Top-Scoring Egyptian of All Time

Salah on Verge of Becoming Top-Scoring Egyptian of All Time
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Salah on Verge of Becoming Top-Scoring Egyptian of All Time

Salah on Verge of Becoming Top-Scoring Egyptian of All Time

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah will become the highest scoring Egyptian of all time if he finds the net against Brentford in the Premier League at Anfield on Saturday.

Salah has scored 313 goals in a brilliant career for club and country, with stats app Five Star Football saying he equalled former Egypt captain Hossam Hassan’s record with a penalty in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Fulham on Wednesday.

According to Reuters, Salah has scored 185 times for Liverpool since joining in 2017 and will catch former captain Steven Gerrard, the fifth-highest scorer in the Merseyside club's history, with another goal. Ian Rush leads the Liverpool all-time list with 346.

Egypt's 30-year-old skipper Salah is Liverpool's record Premier League scorer with 136 goals and has won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup with the club.

Salah's other club goals came at AS Roma (34), Fiorentina (9), Chelsea (2), Basel (20) plus 12 for his childhood club Al-Mokawloon Al-Arab.

On the international front there is some debate about the precise number of goals for both players. Salah has 51, but two of those came in a semi-official 10-0 friendly win against Swaziland in 2013.

Hossam, who won 176 caps during his stellar 19-year international career that brought three African Nations Cup titles, is credited with 76, though several of those are considered to have come in unofficial matches.



Habib Becomes 1st Lebanese Player in Open Era to Play in Grand Slam Men's Singles Draw

FILE - Hady Habib of Lebanon, right, walks by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the men's singles tennis competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong,File)
FILE - Hady Habib of Lebanon, right, walks by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the men's singles tennis competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong,File)
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Habib Becomes 1st Lebanese Player in Open Era to Play in Grand Slam Men's Singles Draw

FILE - Hady Habib of Lebanon, right, walks by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the men's singles tennis competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong,File)
FILE - Hady Habib of Lebanon, right, walks by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the men's singles tennis competition, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong,File)

Hady Habib isn't likely to find anything too daunting at the Australian Open now that he's become the first Lebanese player in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam men's singles draw.
He advanced through three rounds of the qualifying at Melbourne Park, winning his third match in a tiebreaker 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8) over Clement Chidekh of France on Thursday to secure a place in the main draw of the tournament that starts Sunday, The Associated Press reported.
It continued a rapid rise for Habib, who made his Olympic debut last year in Paris, running into eventual silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time major winner, in the first round. It was two sets he'll long remember.
Late last year, he made history at Temuco, Chile by becoming the first ATP Challenger Tour champion from Lebanon.
The 26-year-old Habib was born in Houston, Texas and moved to Lebanon as a young child, learning how to play there. He returned to the US to pursue a pro career and feels now like he's representing of the spirit of Lebanese people.
“I know it’s just a sport, but I feel like representing Lebanon and sacrificing all the things I had to do to get here, it kind of resembles how our nation has fought back,” Habib told Australia's SBS News this week.
His personal success has come at a difficult time during the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
“Every morning, I was waking up during that challenging time, I was contacting all my family members, my friends, making sure they’re okay,” Habib told SBS News. "My heart’s just shattered to see what’s happening to our country and people.
“It was a hard time mentally for me, knowing that you can’t do anything to help, but I’m glad things are calming down now. Hopefully we’ll find some peace.”
Habib's first-round opponent at Melbourne Park will be determined when all qualifiers are inserted into the main draw.