During the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace on Saturday, Egyptian star Mohamed Salah drew attention with his goal that helped his team secure a 3-0 victory, but he revealed something else that puzzled observers. When Salah took off his shirt to celebrate his goal, cameras captured muscles on either side of the player's chest resembling bird wings, an unusual sight for football players.
While some doubted the authenticity of the photo, it is completely real, taken by Paul Ellis, a photographer for the French news agency AFP, from Anfield Stadium. The muscle sparked comments and questions among social media users, with Salah receiving widespread praise for his remarkable physical development in recent times, coinciding with his impressive performance and his transformation into what resembles a digital phenomenon with Liverpool.
However, the comments were not devoid of humor, as one Facebook user remarked, "It's not a muscle... it looks like someone is hugging him from behind," while another likened the muscle to "gills." One supporter even noted the "fingers of coach" Jürgen Klopp in the picture.
The muscle showing in the photo is scientifically known as the "Serratus anterior muscle," connecting the shoulder bones to the upper eight ribs. It is also referred to among athletes as the "boxer's muscle" because it is responsible for moving the shoulder forward around the ribcage when a person throws a punch. For the muscle to reach the degree of prominence seen in Salah's case, intense shoulder, chest, and abdominal exercises are required, which include lifting weights overhead while rotating the arms upwards.
