Liverpool star Mo Salah has turned down the offer of a luxury villa for firing Egypt to the World Cup.
The Reds flier has instead asked the Egyptian businessman behind the gesture to make a donation to his home village, report the Liverpool Echo.
Sources in the north African country say that Salah was contacted by Mamdouh Abbas, the former president of the club Zamalek in his homeland, after the dramatic 2-1 victory over Congo earlier this month.
Abbas wanted Salah to have the holiday villa as a gift in recognition of the part he played in the Pharaohs reaching their first World Cup since 1990.
However, the 25-year-old politely declined and said a donation to Nagrig village in Gharbiya province, which is around 150km from the capital Cairo, would make him happier.
Already a national hero in Egypt, Salah’s stock reached new heights after scoring with a 94th minute penalty against Congo in the Borg El Arab Stadium.
The governor of Gharbiya renamed the player’s former school in Basioun ‘Mohamed Salah Industrial High School’. Nagrig’s youth centre is also being renamed in his honour.
Salah has proved a massive hit at Anfield since his £36.9million move from Roma last summer. He’s the Reds’ top scorer this season with eight goals in 13 appearances.
He won the club’s Player of the Month and Goal of the Month awards for both August and September.
His two goals in Maribor this week saw him shortlisted for the UEFA Champions League player of the week.