Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world for 2019 is out, and the names you would expect to see are there like LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Naomi Osaka, Donald Trump, Michelle Obama and others. Joining the list are two soccer superstars, one from the men's game and another from the women's. Liverpool's Mohamed Salah graced the cover of the magazine and U.S. women's national team's Alex Morgan made the cut.
Comedian and die-hard Liverpool fan John Oliver wrote the piece on Salah, while USWNT legend Mia Hamm wrote about Morgan.
Here's what Oliver had to say on Salah, the Egyptian star who has emerged as one of the world's best players since his transfer from Roma to Liverpool in 2017, scoring 66 goals in 96 games:
Mo Salah is a better human being than he is a football player. And he's one of the best football players in the world. ... Mo is an iconic figure for Egyptians, Scousers and Muslims the world over, and yet he always comes across as a humble, thoughtful, funny man who isn't taking any of this too seriously.
Salah also sat down with the magazine to discuss the importance of women's equality, especially in the Muslim world.
"I think we need to change the way we treat women in our culture," Salah said. "It's not optional."
Speaking of women's equality, that's what the USWNT is looking to do after filing an equal pay lawsuit before this summer's World Cup in France. Morgan, who recently reached 100 international goals, is one of the catalyst on that roster as the United States seeks its first ever back-to-back World Cup title. In Hamm's piece, she opened up about the impact Morgan is leaving on the future generation of young women.
I fully understand the impact that Alex makes on this next generation of young girls. Her commitment to set such a positive example for them is unmatched, and I am incredibly grateful that the future of our game is in such good hands.
Salah and Morgan are obviously not the first soccer players to crack the Time 100 list. Neymar cracked the list in 2017, Lionel Messi did the same in 2011 and so did Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014.
You can see Salah and Morgan in action on fuboTV (Try for free).
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