Mohamed Salah copies Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift but celebration has explanation

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and American football star Travis Kelce have something in common: Their celebrations .

On Friday in Egypt’s 2-0 win over Mauritania during the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, Salah left no doubt that his side would be victorious. In the 79th minute, the 32-year-old bounced a ball over goalkeeper Mamadou Diop’s head to double the Egyptian’s lead, essentially sealing the game.

As he celebrated with his teammates , Salah extended his left arm and cocked back his right, shooting an imaginary arrow into the sky. Some fans on social media spotted the celebration and likened it to what Kelce , the Kansas City Chiefs star, does as he runs to the field before his games and after many of his touchdowns.

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As Kelce exits the tunnel from the dressing room, the 35-year-old aims at the sky and shoots an imaginary arrow, similar to what Salah began doing starting the 2024-25 season . And while the two have the same tastes when it comes to celebrations, the Egyptian star explained his inspiration for his ‘archer’ pose is from MMA.

While speaking with Men In Blazers about his particular celebration, Salah revealed his main inspiration came from UFC star Israel Adesanya. “I think I was watching the UFC - [Alex] Pereira against Israel Adesanya,” Salah began.

“When [Adesanya] won the second fight against Pereira, he celebrated like that because Pereira beat him in the first one. I like the celebration, that’s why I do it. I am a UFC fan.”

Salah then shared that his celebration had taken a life of its own. “And also back home, people take it as, our Egyptian pharaohs used to do it when they drew something in a temple or the pyramids or somewhere. It’s similar,” he added .

For Kelce, the ‘archer’ pose stems from his wanting to ‘dream big’. During an episode of his ‘New Heights’ podcast, the American football star told his other brother Jason just why he does the pose before each game and during touchdowns.

“I do the archer pose because I wanted to do something when I ran out of the tunnel,” Kelce said . “And I’m like, ‘You know what’s been motivating for me is to always dream big. Shooting up for the stars baby.

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“One of my favorite quotes from Deion Sanders: ‘If your dreams aren’t bigger than you, then there’s a problem with your dreams.’” What’s more, even Kelce’s girlfriend, pop megastar Taylor Swift, has gotten in on the act .

During her performance of ‘So High School’ at Wembley Stadium in late June, Swift did the ‘archer’ pose , shooting an imaginary arrow to the crowd. Fans in attendance immediately caught onto what Swift was doing, taking to social media to point it out.

For Salah , Friday’s win allowed Egypt to move just one point away from qualifying for the 2025 AFCON. Also, Salah’s goal moved him only 12 goals away from surpassing current manager Hossam Hassan for most all-time.