Pepsi has chosen Egyptian professional footballer, Mohamed Salah as the new brand ambassador for Pepsi-Cola in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2016. Salah is known globally for his football performances with professional Italian football club A.S Roma.

“Mohamed Salah is a celebrated Arab footballer, a representative of local talent making it big in the international sphere. We are proud to have him as a part of the Pepsi family and through this continued partnership we are looking forward to further inspire the abundant talent in the Middle East and North Africa region,” says Hossam Dabbous, vice-president, beverages category, PepsiCo, Middle East and North Africa.

Ahmed El Sheikh, senior vice-president and general manager, Egypt and Jordan commercial unit general manager, adds, “As a part of the new campaign, Salah is starring in a new television commercial that will go on air in Egypt next week and in the region soon. The campaign represents Pepsi’s belief that that nothing is impossible and that people can make their dreams come true with persistence and dedication which Mohamed Salah is a living example of. We are proud of the affiliation with Mohamed Salah and the kind of inspiration that he brings to his fans in Egypt and in the Arab world.”

Speaking on the partnership, Mohamed Salah says, “It is a privilege to be the face of Pepsi, a brand that offers opportunities to the youth in the region to pursue their dreams as I have mine. I look forward to this opportunity of partnering with Pepsi to inspire and encourage emerging talent across the region and in my home town”

PepsiCo says that it has a long-standing commitment to provide inspiration for the young people of Egypt and the Arab World through football. It has been committed to the development of talent in the football field through various programs at the grassroots level, which date back to more than 15 years.

In Egypt, Pepsi supports emerging football talent in schools through the Grassroots Pepsi Football League “Dawry Al Madares” among 50,000 students annually to reach more than 1 million students in total joining from 7,500 schools across the country. In the last 14 years, 70 of these players became international and local professional players.

PepsiCo now sponsors 19 clubs and has high visibility in Nigeria and Jordan as well through the Nigeria Pepsi Football Academy and the partnership with Asian Football Development Project (AFDP). AFDP is a not-for-profit Jordanian-based Youth Commission founded by HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein that executes major social responsibility projects using football as a tool for social development with the focus on the Middle East and India.