Mohamed Salah temporarily left Liverpool this week to meet up with his Egypt teammates for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the Ivory Coast.
In his last game for his club before the break, Salah put on a stylish performance in what would be a 4-2 victory over Newcastle.
He scored a brace, missed a penalty, and reached a milestone - scoring more than 150 Premier League goals for the Reds.
This achievement marks him out as one of the greatest players in the history of English club football, and allows Salah to switch his focus to his biggest career challenge to date - winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.
Facing a career defining moment. Salah (Photo: Mohamed Salah official X account).
Egypt’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and their loss to Senegal in the previous Africa Cup of Nations final, weigh heavily on Salah.
Despite single-handedly taking Egypt to the 2018 World Cup, playing through an injury and scoring twice in the process, Egyptians still feel Salah owes them something, after past failures.
In 2017, Salah and the Pharaohs lost in the last minute against Cameroon.
In 2019, during their home Afcon, Egypt suffered a surprise elimination in the round of 16 against South Africa, breaking hearts across the country.
If you add these recent failures with the national team to the constant comparisons between him and Mohammed Aboutrika about ‘who is greater’ or ‘more loyal’ to Egypt and the Arab people, it puts immense pressure on Salah’s shoulders.
While Aboutrika is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, and a critic of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rule, Salah has remained relatively neutral in recent years.
Every Christmas, his pictures of a decorated tree draw thousands of toxic comments on social media from back home.
Undoubtedly, he is a better footballer than Aboutrika, but greatness in football is measured by other parameters.
Salah won't have many more opportunities to bring Egypt the prestige of winning the African title, especially in his current form.
His situation parallels Lionel Messi's predicament before the most recent World Cup, when Argentina and the world metaphorically pushed him against the wall, telling him it was now or never.
And there’s a real buzz in Egypt ahead of this tournament, a feeling that this time it is happening.
It won't be easy, but if Salah wants to finally settle the discussion of who is the greatest ever Egyptian footballer, the greatest African in Premier League history, or perhaps the best player globally, he must bring the trophy back to Egypt.
This is the biggest story in the upcoming Afcon; this is what everyone will be talking about, and the eyes of millions will be on him.
Last time, the tournament ended in disappointment for Salah, and ultimately damaged his friendship and partnership with Sadio Mané, tarnishing Liverpool's season as a result.
With Liverpool once again at their peak this year, and in pole position for a rare league title during a period of dominance from Manchester City, an Afcon win for Salah could have far-reaching consequences:
On Salah's legacy as an Egyptian; on Liverpool’s fight against Pep’s City dynasty; on the English top flight that has never seen a team win four consecutive titles; and on the greater world of football.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have already been crowned as the heirs to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s thrones - but one Egyptian is ahead of them on that list, and still hasn't had his last word.
The biggest story of the AFCON in the Ivory Coast this year. Salah, with Egypt (Photo: Mohamed Salah official X account)
Article photo via Mohamed Salah’s official X account.
