Mohamed Salah, an Egyptian and Liverpool footballer, has received considerable praise after speaking about the death of a footballer known as the "Palestinian Pele".
Suleiman al-Obeid, 41, was killed in southern Gaza earlier this week while waiting for humanitarian relief when Israeli forces attacked civilians. In response to a tribute post from UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, which did not talk about the reason for Al-Obeid's death, Salah asked an important question.
UEFA in a post on X called the former national team member “a talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times”.
"Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?" wrote Salah on X.
The post has now gone viral on social media, with more than 61 million views, thousands of reposts, and comments. The majority of users praised the Egyptian for his position, while others pointed out that he may have jeopardised his Ballon d'Or credentials by taking a controversial political stance, NDTV reported.
“I didn't think I could love this man [Salah] anymore than I already do, but here we are," said one user, while another added: "Salah sacrificed the Ballon d'Or hopes completely today, but in a cool fashion. Free free Palestine."
A third commented: "My respect for him has just gone up a hundred times, he's nothing like these weak footballers who shut their mouth up with the fear of losing sponsors."
A fourth said: "This ends any slim hope Salah had of winning the Ballon d'Or. Given France football's corruption and racism but some matters go beyond football. I'm really proud of him.”
This is not the first time Salah has talked about the Palestinian cause. In 2023, the Liverpool star called on "world leaders to come together to prevent further slaughter of innocent souls" and for humanitarian supplies to be allowed into Gaza.
Aside from Salah, several footballers, including Sam Morsy, Ibrahima Konate, Paul Pogba, and Son Heung-Min, have spoken out in support of the Palestinian people.
Al-Obeid, nicknamed the "Gazelle," "Black Pearl," and the Palestinian "Pele" (after the Brazilian soccer icon), was remembered as a star by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), ABCNews reported.
Al-Obeid played for the Palestinian National Team 24 times, scoring two goals, the most notable of which was a bicycle kick against Yemen's National Team in the West Asian Federation's 2010 cup, according to the association.
The PFA reported that at least 662 athletes and scouts had been killed since October 7, 2023.
The association stated that at least 321 members of the Palestinian football community have been killed since October 7, 2023, including players, coaches, administrators, referees, and club board members.