For some Egyptian soccer fans, watching Mohamed Salah qualify for two World Cups with Egypt in 2018 and 2026 will never make up for the fact that the “golden generation” failed to qualify in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
“It’s unfair to compare the two generations,” Ahmed Elshek, a former national team player who now covers the World Cup for Modern MTI TV, told Al Jazeera.
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“The golden generation did everything except go to the World Cup. They beat Italy (when they won the World Cup). The draw in the qualifying round was not kind to them.”
Salah is the captain and leader of the current generation. He played for Liverpool and won every trophy on offer during an illustrious nine-year career that saw him become the highest-scoring foreign player in English Premier League history.
Given his position, it is no surprise that Salah has been blamed for the AFCON drought dating back to 2010. His accomplishments in dragging Egypt to the 2018 World Cup in Russia are being ignored due to the fact that they were the first team to be eliminated. Salah, who dislocated his shoulder in the UEFA Champions League final and is currently in poor health, scored two goals, but Egypt lost all three games, including the match against Saudi Arabia.
The failure was compounded by Egypt’s loss to Senegal on penalties in the 2021 AFCON final. Thirteen months later, Egypt faced Senegal in the World Cup playoffs, but lost again on penalties. Salah was named the fifth taker in the first penalty shootout, but he had no chance to take the penalty. In the second shootout, perhaps realizing his mistake, he took the lead but failed.
Salah may have been one of the best players in the Premier League, but Egyptian fans were not happy. To ease the pain, they held on to memories of the team that won African championships in 2006, 2008 and 2010. The man behind that success was legendary midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika. He is as famous for his “empathy for Gaza” T-shirt as he is for his perfect first touch.
The disappointment was so deep that fans lost hope for the national team. AFCON 2023 was a fiasco due to Salah’s injury, but Salah chose to return to Liverpool for rehabilitation, but promised to return if the team reached the final. Shortly after this statement, Egypt’s tournament ended with a penalty shootout defeat in the round of 16.
Hossam Hassan, who is now Egypt’s coach and was working as an analyst for Egyptian television at the time, said if Salah had done something similar under his watch, “I would never have selected him for the national team again.”
A few weeks later, Hassan was appointed as national team coach following the sacking of Rui Vitoria.
It was widely speculated that the only reason the Egyptian Football Association hired Hassan was because they were unable to bring in a foreign manager due to the currency crisis.
“Hossam Hassan as a player achieved everything imaginable,” El-Sheikh said, referring to the former striker’s record 69 goals and three AFCON titles for Egypt.
“But as a manager, we looked at what he could produce and the results weren’t great. … He also caused problems and caused crises.”
The crisis El-Sheikh mentioned was a hallmark of Hassan’s career as a journeyman coach, marked by scuffles and altercations with fans.
However, this appointment turned out to be a sudden stroke of unexpected genius.
Salah regains form under Hassan
Instead of falling out with Salah, he and Hassan were joined at the hip. If there’s anyone who can understand the pressure of Salah’s position, it’s Hassan. He has lived through all of that before, with the added pressure of playing primarily in Egypt and crossing the Cairo divide when he left Al Ahly to sign for rivals Zamalek.
“Hassan certainly has a captain’s personality and is very energetic. He may not be the strongest tactically, but he provides a solid defensive foundation,” El-Sheikh said.
Salah has enjoyed a rich form under Hassan’s guidance. Egypt qualified for the 2026 World Cup with eight wins and no losses in 10 matches. The team also reached the semi-finals of the 2025 AFCON tournament, but that accomplishment hasn’t silenced the doubters.
Of course, it’s not all about Salah. Egypt has many talented players, including Man City’s Omar Marmoush and Al Ahly’s Imam Ashour.
The undefeated team enters the round of 16 and will face defending champions Argentina on Tuesday. Egypt have also overcome a lot of adversity to reach this stage of the tournament.
New Zealand needed a late comeback against New Zealand in the group stage to secure their first World Cup victory. Salah had to leave the final group game against Iran with a hamstring injury, but played the full 120 minutes in the last-32 penalty shootout win over Australia. Salah, 34, fired a panenka kick against Socceroos goalkeeper Matt Ryan.
In the aftermath of that victory, Aboutrika, who is now an analyst at beIN Sports, did his best to pass the baton to a new generation.
Goalscorer Ashour expressed delight at being compared to Aboutrika and said his ambition was to be “half or a quarter as good as him.”
Afterward, in the studio, Aboutrika replied: “You’re better than me. You scored two goals in the World Cup,” claiming that this was the biggest night in Egyptian football history.
Not everyone is so sure.
Karim Zidan, a writer who focuses on the intersection of sports, power, and politics, said, “This Egyptian team is better than any we’ve seen in years, but it’s still surprisingly vulnerable.”
Meanwhile, Salah was again asked who is the greatest Egyptian player of all time, and it was once again up to Aputrika to say, “There’s no room for debate.”
