Footballer Mo Salah wants women to be treated with more respect in the Muslim world

Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah (aka Mo Salah) has called for a change in the way women of the Muslim world are treated.

In an interview with Time magazine, which named him one of the world's most influential people, the 26-year-old Liverpool player shared that his attitude towards gender equality has evolved over the years and he wanted to see things change, revealing that his culture and also that of the Middle East made him think about gender issues.

“I think we need to change the way we treat women in our culture. It’s not optional. I support the woman more than I did before, because I feel like she deserves more than what they give her now," he said.

Guess comedian John Oliver wasn't lying when he described Salah as a "better human being than he is a footballer. And he's one of the best football players in the world."

Salah was one of three international sports stars named on the list, South Africa's double 800m Olympic champion Caster Semenya and Japan's tennis world number one Naomi Osaka the others.

The striker was also one of the US magazine's six cover stars, which included singer Taylor Swift, actors Dwayne Johnson and Sandra Oh, US broadcaster Gayle King and US politician Nancy Pelosi.