Mohamed Salah, the star of Turkey's Trabzonspor, affirmed that he has changed many negative traits in his personality over the past years.
The 34-year-old Mohamed Salah joined Trabzonspor during the ongoing summer transfer window on a free transfer after his contract with his former club, England's Liverpool, expired.
Dealing with Difficulties
Mohamed Salah said in statements to Trabzonspor TV: "How do I deal with difficulties? I don't think I try to escape any problem... Once you understand the problem and try to find a solution for it, you have taken the first correct step toward dealing with it."
The Egyptian national team star added: "Some people sometimes try to escape a problem because they don't want to face it, or because it is too difficult or will cause them a lot of stress."
He continued: "I believe that throughout my career, I began changing many bad things in my personality, and this helped me greatly adapt to every culture... I played in Switzerland, Italy, England, and now in Turkey, as well as in Egypt. Every nation has its different culture, and every country has its different style, so I had to adapt to each one."
Facing Liverpool
Regarding the possibility of facing Liverpool while wearing the Trabzonspor jersey, Salah said: "I will certainly have mixed feelings because I spent nine years with them, I love the city, and I also love the fans. Our relationship has always been special, so it will be an emotionally difficult match."
The interviewer asked Salah: "We know that when you were a child, you used to take four buses to go to training... Can we say that you still have the same ambition?"
Mohamed Salah replied: "Certainly, I still have the same ambition because I know that without ambition and motivation, I would never have reached this level... I am still motivated, and I want to win something special here, which is why I came here... Yes, I can say that I am still the same person."
Family Support
Regarding his family's support when he played football as a child, he said: "My mother did not want me to play, and I understand her reason. As a mother, she saw her son leave at 9 a.m. and return at 10 p.m., meaning almost an entire day passed without her seeing him... For her, she felt it might not be worth all that because you never know what will happen in the future."
He continued: "As for my father, he supported me all the way. I believe men have tougher hearts, so to speak, and are not as sensitive as mothers. I say this positively, not negatively."
He added: "I received full support from my father, and also from my mother, though she was constantly worried about me. However, at that time, I didn't see it as suffering because I desperately wanted to play football."
Mohamed Salah concluded his remarks by saying: "When you are a child aged 14 or 15, if you see what you're doing as suffering, then there is definitely something wrong... But I enjoyed being in Cairo and playing football there... I would go and play, and I didn't see it as suffering to that extent."
