WATCH: Egyptian footballer Salah ranked in top-50 highest earning athletes in the world in 2020

Egyptian Salah the highest paid African athlete in 2020

JOHANNESBURG, June 1 (ANA) – Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah has been ranked inside the top-50 highest paid athletes in sport for 2020, it was announced on Tuesday.

Sportico’s annual top-100 paid athletes in sport had the 28-year-old Salah ranked 43rd, making him the highest paid African athlete for 2020. Salah was also just above American tennis sensation Serena Williams who was ranked 44th with her total earnings of 35.5m US.

The Liverpool forward had reported earnings of 36.1m US dollars, with 25.1m US from his salary and 11m US in endorsements.

Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor was ranked as the highest paid athlete in sport for 2020 with total earnings of 208m US.

The news may come as a surprise to many, as Liverpool struggled for large parts of the 2020/2021 season as defending English Premier League (EPL) champions. The Reds, however, did manage to move inside the top-four to end the campaign third, courtesy of favourable results in the final game of the season.

Salah, though, was close to his best in red with 22 goals in the EPL season – just one goal behind golden boot award (most goals scored in the season) winner Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp speaks glowingly of Salah: “He [Salah] is just a natural goalscorer, he wants to score goals. That is something he has developed later in his career.

“That is what world-class players do [score season after season]. Knowing your own quality helps you get back on track quicker than others.”

Salah is already a two-time winner of the EPL golden boot award in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019.

In the past Salah has drawn criticism for trying to score too many goals on his own, but this quality is what makes him so prolific according to Klopp.

“Strikers have to be selfish. I have never met an unselfish striker. You can be the nicest person in the world but in the end you want to score goals and that means you do not see players in the same shirt.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman