Thousands of soccer fans wearing red jerseys filled BC Place in Vancouver on Sunday to watch Egyptian captain Mohamed Salah compete against New Zealand in a World Cup match.
The 34-year-old winger, the English Premier League's all-time top foreign goal-scorer, drew supporters from across North America as Egypt chased its first World Cup tournament victory.
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A 15-year-old fan from Boston traveled to see the national team captain in person for the first time.
"All it takes is one player just like Salah and how he changed the game for Egypt," said Yahia Sour.
"He is a great symbol of pride in Egypt and even people who are not Egyptian love him and respect him."
Another supporter came from Ontario with a large group of family and friends.
"It's been really exciting to see him lead our country to the World Cup and on this grand world stage where we all get to see him in person," said 17-year-old Eliana Awad.
"It just makes it even more exciting, like the reality of what he's accomplished is just really incredible."
An Egyptian living in Montreal, who previously saw Salah play at the Africa Cup of Nations, expressed unique excitement about watching him on Canadian soil.
"He's exceptional," said Michael George. "We never had somebody who went to the international level before.
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But he was the one who succeeded."
