Sayer it isn’t Mo

You know when someone posts a pic of you on Facebook and you’re livid because you’re not exactly looking your best ... well have some sympathy for Liverpool and Egyptian football star Mo Salah — or rather the statue of him unveiled this week to widespread derision. At best he looks like 70s pop star Leo Sayer, or perhaps Art Garfunkel (check the meme where the statue has perfectly replaced Garfunkel on the Bridge Over Troubled Water album cover). At worst, it’s possibly trumped the bust of Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo as the most mocked football art. The statue was unveiled at the World Youth Forum in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in the presence of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. With large ears and an oversized head covered in a huge afro, the hobbit-like Salah features disproportionately small limbs and hands. The statue allegedly captures Salah in his iconic goal celebration pose of arms outstretched. Critics are undecided if it’s worse than the Ronaldo bust where his face looked like it had been disfigured by a cannonball. In a Facebook post, the woman who made the Salah sculpture said the brass statue came out looking different to the original mould. “I hope people learn the art of criticism politely and respect,” she wishfully said. It’s likely the statue will meet the same fate as Ronaldo’s bust — melted down.