Former Basel star Marcelo Diaz reveals hilarious nickname he gave Mohamed Salah

Former FC Basel midfielder Marcelo Diaz has revealed the hilarious nickname he gave Mohamed Salah when the pair were teammates at the Swiss club.

Diaz and Salah shared the dressing room between 2012 and 2014, during the early stages of the Egyptian forward’s European career, long before he developed into one of the biggest stars in world football.

Recalling their first days together at Basel, Diaz explained that the language barrier made communication difficult for both players, who had arrived from completely different footballing and cultural backgrounds.

In an interview published by TNT Sports, Diaz revealed that he came up with a bizarre nickname for the Egyptian because neither player could communicate properly in English, German or Italian.

“Since we didn’t speak English, German or Italian, I had no means of communication. I arrived with a young man named Mohamed Salah and I called him Mogami La Rakha,” Diaz said.

The Chilean midfielder explained that Salah had only recently arrived from Egypt and was also struggling to adapt to his new surroundings.

“That’s the name I gave him, Mogami La Rakha. Of course, Momitu had arrived from Egypt at that time. He didn’t speak English or German or anything, and neither did I, so we attended classes together, and that’s how our journey of adapting together began in a country completely different from our own,” he added.

Diaz also revealed that Salah eventually questioned the unusual nickname, although the pair later explained the story behind it to him.

“Yes, hahaha, and we explained it to him later, but he then became a global star and still is, it’s amazing,” Diaz recalled.

The story offers a glimpse into Salah’s early years in European football, when he was still adapting to life outside Egypt and beginning to establish himself on the international stage.

Salah joined Basel in 2012 from Egyptian side Al Mokawloon and quickly caught the attention of European clubs with his performances in Switzerland.

He made 79 appearances for Basel, scoring 20 goals and providing 14 assists before leaving the club for Chelsea in January 2014.

What began as a period of adaptation for the young Egyptian eventually became the foundation for a remarkable career that would see Salah go on to become a global football superstar.