Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool and Egypt forward, assured on Sunday his fans that he will be able to take part in next month’s Fifa World Cup in Russia.
Salah suffered a shoulder injury during Saturday’s Champion’s League final after he was fouled by Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos just 30 minutes into the match. Liverpool went on to lose the final 1-3.
“It was a very tough night, but I'm a fighter. Despite the odds, I'm confident that I'll be in Russia to make you all proud. Your love and support will give me the strength I need,” said Salah on his official Twitter account.
He did not disclose the extent of his injury, but the Egyptian national team said he sprained his shoulder ligaments and will likely be away for three weeks.
This means he will be able to take part in the World Cup, which begins on June 14. Egypt will kick off its games in the tournament by facing Uruguay on June 15 and later Russia and then Saudi Arabia.
During the final, Salah tangled with Ramos, who grabbed him while chasing the ball and held on to his right arm. In their twisting fall, Salah landed heavily on his left shoulder and exited the match in Kiev, Ukraine, in tears. Ramos, the Madrid captain, was not shown a yellow card.
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp described the arm-tangling grapple as "like wrestling, a little bit.”
Ramos tweeted his apologies to Salah, wishing him a speedy recovery.
"Sometimes football shows you it's good side and other times the bad. Above all, we are fellow pros," Ramos wrote in English with the hashtag "#GetWellSoon". In the Spanish version, the Real Madrid defender added "Rapid recovery, Salah. The future awaits you."
Ramos may have escaped punishment in Kiev, but it came swiftly in Egypt, where Salah's fans took to social media to vent their frustration, using the Arabic language's rich repertoire of expletives to insult the Madrid veteran. Some offered prayers, seeking divine intervention to exact revenge on the Spanish international.
In contrast, expressions of sympathy and support for Salah came from thousands of ordinary Egyptians, celebrities and the country's president.
"My heartfelt wishes for the Egyptian hero Mohamed Salah to recover from his injury, and I hope he will return to the field soon and remain a shining Egyptian star," President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi tweeted.
Salah, 25, scored 44 goals in his first season at Liverpool and swept the English player of the year awards.
He also helped propel Egypt to their first World Cup since 1990.
