Mohamed Salah The Latest Pro Footballer To Fall In Love With Golf

Although Liverpool star Mohamed Salah's new goal celebration would suggest archery is his other favourite sport, the Egyptian has revealed that playing golf is now one of the main ways he relaxes off the pitch.

The 32-year-old is one of the best players in Liverpool's history, having scored 159 Premier League goals in 265 games since joining from Italian side Roma in 2017.

Also right up there with the best players ever to grace the Premier League, Salah is a global phenomenon but with that superstardom comes a huge amount of pressure to perform.

When he's not thrilling crowds at Anfield, Salah is spending time with his family, reading and watching self-improvement guides and also is a fan of watching UFC.

One of the major ways he likes to switch off though, quite surprisingly, is on the golf course, as Salah revealed that he's a big fan of getting out on the links and is even having lessons to improve.

"I do play golf," Salah told Sky Sports. "And I enjoy it a lot, on my last holiday I played golf. I’m not that good, but yeah I’m having lessons."

Salah says that along with maintaining his fitness regime and taking a break away from football, he hit the golf course over his summer holiday - but adds that he's being cautious and trying not to overdo it after getting a warning from Liverpool's medical staff.

"We had four weeks off and I played about two or three times," Salah added. "I’m not a doctor but everyone here is telling me it’s not really good for the back, so I have to be careful, but I just like to play it."

Like many golfers, both those in professional sport and just your regular recreational players, Salah summed up just how getting the clubs out onto the course can help with the pressures of everyday life.

"The last two years I’ve been playing more because it helps take your mind away from football," said Salah. "And it's also something that I enjoy."

Salah's not the only professional footballer, either in the UK or USA, to enjoy a round of golf, as it's becoming more popular among current players and has long been a staple of the retired player.

England captain Harry Kane is famously obsessed with golf, while in the NFL there's a long drive contest that's even become part of the annual Pro Bowl.

And The Match that's been televised over the last few years has become increasingly focused on sports stars outside of the world of golf.

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce beat NBA duo Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in last year's edition, while Josh Allen, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers have all been involved.

Finally, back to Salah and that celebration, which, if you were wondering, is merely a tribute to UFC star Israel Adesanya's archer pose he pulls out when he wins inside the Octagon.