Who is the best African player of all time?
And why not a unanimous answer, Mohamed Salah?
Ask around. The answers to the questions tend to be similar, albeit thought-provoking.
Didier Drogba’s name is often mentioned. There are shouts from Yaya Toure and Samuel Eto’o, and shouts from George Weah, Nwankwo Kanu, Roger Milla and others are, of course, provided by fans of a particular vintage.
The Egyptian king’s future at Liverpool may be up in the air, but so is his legacy in African football.
Often overlooked as a candidate for the African Player of the Year award, Salah’s name tends to be featured alongside these players, but a win at the AFCON in Morocco could certainly set him apart as Africa’s king to be admired. He last won the award in 2018, but was stripped of the honor this year and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi won it in November.
Football purists may be critical of Salah’s preference for efficiency over beauty, but his numbers remain unchanged. Salah’s reputation here is strong, with 250 goals for Liverpool, fourth on the Premier League’s all-time scoring list, and four-time Golden Boot winner in the English top flight.
Salah is also known on the European stage. Champions League winner Salah has featured in the highlight of Europe’s biggest club competition three times.
Salah reached the AFCON finals in 2017 and 2021 but lost both times.
No African player over the age of 33 has scored in the Champions League. But there is a general feeling that Salah still has something to prove.
Salah has never won an AFCON. His home country Egypt is the most successful team in the competition’s history, with seven wins, but Salah can only boast of reaching the finals twice, in 2017 and 2021.
In the latter case, Salah lost to his then club teammate Sadio Mane, with the Senegalese side winning on penalties.
In 2023, his tournament was cut short due to injury. After scoring in Egypt’s opening game, Salah was injured in the next group match, forcing him to return to his club. Egypt ultimately lost to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the quarterfinals on penalties.
In a scathing response to Salah’s bombshell Leeds post-match interview, Jamie Carragher addressed the Liverpool man’s lack of success in Africa earlier this month.
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Jamie Carragher gives his thoughts on Salah’s outburst after being benched again in the draw with Liverpool earlier this month
“I would like to remind Mo Salah and probably his agent that before coming to Liverpool, Mo Salah was known as a failure at Chelsea.
“That’s just a fact. He never won a big trophy before coming to Liverpool. He’s also the greatest player his country has ever won. Egypt is the most successful country in the African Cup of Nations. Mo Salah has never won AFCON. He wasn’t a big star before he came to Liverpool.”
“We haven’t won anything in Egypt. What I can say here is that no matter how good a player is, he needs the help of his teammates, the coach and the fans.”
There is no doubt that Carragher’s words will give momentum to Morocco’s Salah, but will AFCON become Africa’s strongest standard?
Drogba never won a trophy despite being part of Ivory Coast’s golden generation team, but he did win the tournament a year after retiring. Weah, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1995, also represented Liberia in 1996 and 2002, but failed to win.
Here we need to apply the context that Egypt’s population is 20 times that of Liberia. Liberia has only played in AFCON twice, but Weah was also part of the team. But Ware’s reputation remains strong.
Salah is the lifeblood of his country. This will be his third time as captain, but his fifth overall, and likely the last time he will bring the trophy back to Egypt.
Although not among the clear favorites for the title, Salah’s mere presence in the team improves their chances, and on Monday he saved Egypt with an injury-time winner against Zimbabwe. Coach Hassan Hassam knows a thing or two about winning this tournament, having participated consecutively as a player in 1996, 1998 and 2006.
Morocco’s North African climate will be familiar to Egyptians. A similar climate would work well to reassure the 11 players on Egypt’s squad who have yet to compete in AFCON.
The combination of fresh faces and the experience of Salah and Manchester City’s Omar Marmouche should serve the Pharaohs well.
It remains to be seen whether they will be able to compete equally with the favorites such as Morocco, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Nigeria.
The people’s hopes rest on Salah. The same goes for Salah’s desire to become Africa’s strongest team.
