Is This Egyptian Dish the Reason Behind Mo Salah's Success? Probably Not but We Like to Think

Aside from probably being one of the greatest soccer players alive, Mohamed Salah's latest appearance will make you prob to be Arab (or for some of us, an honorary one at least). The Liverpool FC player, who hails from Egypt sat down with Becky Anderson from CNN in Abu Dhabi and revealed the regional food that keeps him going.

The star might be based in the UK, and have access to some of the best restaurants in the world, thanks to his high profile status as a footballer, but it turns out all he wants is some homemade grub.

Despite ordering a salmon fillet, with fancy "rainbow carrots, samphire, smoked leek and potato puree" Mohamed is less than impressed by British food, although he has made the effort to dig into a traditional pie plus fish and chips. When in Rome …

He seeks out kushari whenever possible; an Egyptian dish made from rice, pasta and lentils, topped with tomato sauce, chickpeas and fried onion.

"Nutrition is so important, it's part of the game," he says. "It has helped with my recovery, allowed me to sleep better and helped my body adapt quickly. My nutritionist says that because I don't have any fat on my body, I can eat what I want. I also don't drink so it's fine."

Lucky for some.

"When I go back to Egypt, I call my friend from the airport to buy kushari for us to eat in the car," he adds. "I pull my hoodie over my head, jump into the car and then I'm eating it straight away."

Sounds like our shawarma obsession.