Artist defends Mo Salah statue in face of ridicule on social media

A bronze statue of Mohamed Salah unveiled yesterday at an international youth '¨gathering in Egypt has been criticised for its poor resemblance to the prolific Liverpool striker.

A bronze statue of Liverpool striker Mo Salah on display in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Picture: Ayman Aref/AP

The statue depicts Salah with a disproportionately large head and small arms stretched in the celebratory pose the 26-year-old Egyptian from the latter part of last season.

The figure, made by artist Mai Abdullah, has Salah’s trademark curly hair and 
is standing on what appears to be a pot for plants.

Salah, pictured right, has not spoken publicly about the statue and Abdullah was not immediately available for comment, but the artist defended her work in a Facebook post, saying the statue was made as part of an online programme to teach sculpting. “The negative comments will not frustrate or have an effect on me, but I do hope that people would learn the art of polite and respectful criticism,” Abdullah wrote in response to a wave of ridicule on social media.

Last year, Cristiano Ronaldo had a bust unveiled that was also criticised for its lack of a resemblance.