Mohamed Salah’s name deserves to be mentioned in any discussion regarding the best African soccer player of all-time. The Egyptian has won all there is to win in the club game, making himself an icon of the Premier League era for Liverpool over the last six-and-a-half years. At international level, though, Salah still has a final box to check.
Salah will likely end his career as Egypt’s all-time top scorer (he is currently second in the list, just 12 goals behind Hossam Hassan), but he has never won a trophy for his country. The winger led the Pharaohs to their first World Cup since 1990 by making it to Russia in 2018, but he has never got his hands on the Africa Cup of Nations.
He came close two years ago. Salah was part of the Egypt team that lost in a penalty shootout to Senegal in the final. One that was the subject of controversy after video showed green lasers from the stands flashing around the captain’s face as he took – and missed – his spot-kick.
The 31-year-old was criticised for some of his performances at the 2021 AFCON, but was still the primary source of creativity for his country as they chased an eighth continental title.
Egypt have won more AFCON titles than any other country, but they haven’t won the tournament since 2010 when they achieved an historic three-peat. Salah didn’t make his international debut until the following year and so the lack of an AFCON title remains a hole in his resume as one of the best players of his generation.
Salah finds himself in a similar situation to the one Lionel Messi was in before the 2022 World Cup. Widely considered the best player in history, Messi had never been able to surpass Diego Maradona in the eyes of most Argentines due to his failure to deliver the biggest trophy in international soccer.
In Qatar, though, everything changed for Messi as Argentina won the World Cup for the first time since 1986 and the days of Maradona. His legacy for club and country is now secure with nothing left for the 36-year-old to achieve. Maradona is still an icon in Argentina, but nobody would place Messi below him now.
By winning the 2023 AFCON, Salah would achieve something similar. Most Egyptians would agree he is the best player ever produced by the country, but ask them to name the country’s greatest player at international level and they might mention Hassan or Mohamed About Trika instead.
Despite drawing their opening game against Mozambique, Egypt are among the favourites to win the 2023 AFCON. They came within a penalty shootout of winning in 2021 and the core of the squad has been kept together since then. In tournament soccer, the Pharaohs are difficult to overcome.
While many of the players are the same, Egypt are playing a different brand of soccer under Rui Vitoria than was the case two years ago. The former Benfica coach wants his team to play a possession-orientated game when Egypt were previously renowned for sitting deep, absorbing pressure and playing on the break.
Some have questioned Vitoria’s methods. Against Mozambique, there were certainly signs of the ideological change that has taken place since the last AFCON, but Egypt perhaps lacked the attacking commitment to truly make the approach work. That will need to improve over the remainder of the tournament.
With Salah in the team, though, Egypt will have a chance in every match they play at the 2023 AFCON. The 31-year-old is one of the most dangerous attackers in the sport and could win AFCON almost entirely on his own if he can discover his best form over the next few weeks – that’s how good he is.
Nobody of a rational mind would hold Salah’s failure to win AFCON against him when considering everything else he has achieved in his career, but international soccer fandom is inherently irrational. It’s about passion and patriotism. Players are judged using a different yardstick and that’s the way it’s always been.
Next up for Egypt is a tricky match against Ghana who will want to respond after a shock defeat to Cape Verde. Anything less than a win would be concerning for the Pharaohs, but three points could be a catalyst for a memorable tournament. The next month could see Salah take his legacy within Egypt to a new level. The prize on the line for the 31-year-old is more than just a trophy.
