Two of Egypt’s most admired figures – Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, the world-renowned heart surgeon whose career has transformed cardiac care globally, and Mohamed Salah, the internationally acclaimed footballer and national team captain – were brought together for a unique interview earlier this week. Vodafone’s feature- “A Gift to Future Generations” – aired on ON Sports on 9 November and was later posted on Vodafone Egypt’s YouTube channel on 18 November. What unfolded was an interview that outlined how ambition, doubt, and discipline have shaped both Salah and Magdy Yacoub along their paths. For Egypt’s young generation navigating uncertainty, the exchange offered lessons rooted not in theory, but in lived experience. Both men began by returning to childhood, to the small but defining moments that altered the course of their lives. Yacoub recalled how the death of his aunt sparked a clarity that never left him. “From that moment, I decided I would become a heart surgeon,” he said, describing a commitment he formed as a child and never abandoned. Salah’s start was more instinctive; he did not have a defined path at age seven, but he remembered the feeling…
