Fans mock statue of Liverpool's Egyptian superstar Mo Salah

A new sculpture of Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has provoked ridicule online for its unflattering depiction of the world-famous Egyptian footballer.

The artwork, unveiled on Sunday at the World Youth Forum (WYF) being held in Sharm al-Sheikh, depicts Salah with his arms outstretched in his trademark goal celebration.

The Egyptian footballer emerged as a phenomenon last year during his first season at Liverpool, breaking the club's scoring record for a debut season and earning the Premier League's Golden Boot award.

He was also named BBC African footballer of the year, and his crucial 95^th minute penalty for Egypt against Congo last year sent the North African team to the World Cup for the first time since 1990.

Given his legendary world status, many fans were left bemused by the artistic tribute to the superstar.

Featuring an oversized head and short and skinny legs, social media users said the sculpture looked more like 1970s singer Art Garfunkel or Marv the burglar from the film Home Alone.

The statue also drew comparisons with a notoriously bad bust of Cristiano Ronaldo that was unveiled last year at Madeira airport.

Sculptor Mai Abdallah told Egyptian media that she created the statue of Salah as a symbol of excellence for Egyptian youth, describing her artwork as "distinguished and executable".

In a Facebook post addressing the criticism she said: "I hope people learn the art of criticism politely and respect."

The artist said she was not "fully satisfied" with the end product, claiming the brass statue came out differently to the original mould.

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