AFCON 2025
Egypt captain Mohamed Salah has shared the first public photograph of himself with his newborn son, Leil, in a rare glimpse into his family life.
Salah posted the photo on his verified X account on Saturday evening without a caption. The image shows the Trabzonspor forward lying in bed with his eyes closed while his son sleeps on his chest in a striped onesie.
Leil is Salah’s third child with his wife, Magi Sadeq, whom he married in 2013, and their first son. The couple also have two daughters, Makka, born in 2014, and Kayan, born in 2020.
The birth was first confirmed in early September after Salah left Turkey for England. Trabzonspor president Ertuğrul Doğan said at the time that the player had travelled for a family occasion and that his wife had given birth to a boy. Salah’s sister, Rabab, later revealed the child’s name as Leil, an Arabic name meaning “night.”
Saturday’s post marks the first time Salah and his son have been publicly pictured together. The family had previously kept the newborn away from the public eye, with only a knitted hat appearing in Rabab’s announcement.
The photograph comes during the current international break. Salah left the Egypt camp following the Pharaohs’ goalless draw against Angola in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and subsequently missed Tuesday’s 5–0 victory over South Sudan.
He has reportedly been spending time with his family in England and is expected to return to Trabzonspor, whom he joined from Liverpool during the summer.
The post drew an immediate reaction from fans, with supporters congratulating Salah and describing the image as a moment between “the king and his prince.”
For a player who generally keeps his family life away from the spotlight, the photograph offers a rare and personal glimpse into Salah’s life away from football.
