Mohamed Salah has never won an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which is a requirement if he wants to be ranked among the greatest players in Egyptian and African football history.
Salah’s pursuit of an AFCON title is not unlike from Lionel Messi’s pursuit of a World Cup title.
Messi is certainly one of the finest to ever play the game, but to tip him over the edge from best to greatest, up there with his compatriot Diego Maradona, it felt like he needed a World Cup title with Argentina.
Messi, who is 35 years old, accomplished this in 2022. Though 2022 felt like his last chance to compete in the World Cup, you wouldn’t bet against him participating in 2026.
Salah, who needs to win an AFCON quickly, is at a comparable juncture in his career at age 31.
His last opportunity was the 2023 AFCON, which was rescheduled from July to January 2024 due to rain in Ivory Coast.
Generally regarded as the best African player of all time, Samuel Eto’o led Cameroon to two AFCON titles in 2000 and 2002.
Salah isn’t the best Egyptian player right now either; that title still goes to Mohamed Aboutrika, who won two AFCONs with Egypt in 2006 and 2008.
Salah benefits from the fact that these competitions are held every two years as opposed to every four, as is the case with other prestigious football competitions like the World Cup and European Championship, which means he will have more opportunities to establish his legacy.
Salah will turn 33 years old in 2025, the year of the next tournament in Morocco. When the 2027 tournament takes place in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, he will be the same age as Messi was when he won the 2022 World Cup.
Salah has additional opportunities, but there is no assurance that 2025 and 2027 will bring prospects for AFCON triumph because careers after 30 are unpredictable and no international team can be guaranteed of its depth in the future.
Morocco 2025 may offer Egypt’s best chance to win an AFCON with Salah, but powerful countries like Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco itself will also gain from a competition in North Africa.
In the end, this moment is unlike any other. This is your finest opportunity. For his team, Liverpool, Salah is still at the top of his game, producing as much creativity as he does scoring goals. His style has also changed.
The Pharaohs, as the team is known, have as good a chance as any if he can bring that to Egypt and if quality plays are made by every member of the team.
Every time you take the pitch wearing the national team shirt, it’s an amazing sensation. I can’t take everything for granted,” Salah recently remarked.
“I’m just glad to be here and participating in the competition. My goal is to triumph in this contest. It would be wonderful to win.
Salah conveys in such remarks an understanding of his position and duty. He knows they can’t win and he can’t give his best performance simply by showing there, so he doesn’t take his engagement with Egypt for granted.
The AFCON is a challenging competition to succeed in. Salah, who finished second in both 2017 and 2021, is all too familiar with this.
While some of the more well-known teams have faltered or been unreliable, less well-known clubs have performed better recently. Nothing should be taken lightly, nothing is guaranteed, and there are no simple games.
It is a good idea to approach the tournament like Salah is doing—humbly and respectfully.
This is one of the reasons he is already regarded as one of the greatest African soccer players, but he still needs to win an AFCON trophy in order to rank among the likes of Eto’o and Aboutrika.
