Can Salah pull a Messi in AFCON? Egypt's record King hunts his missing crown

As Egypt prepare to face Zimbabwe in their AFCON 2025 opener, Mohamed Salah stands on the brink of either completing his legacy or leaving the most painful chapter unfinished.

Mohamed Salah has conquered nearly everything the game has to offer. Premier League champion, Champions League winner, three-time PFA Player of the Year. Yet one trophy has eluded him with cruel persistence: the Africa Cup of Nations. Arriving amid public friction with Liverpool manager Arne Slot and uncertainty over his contract future, the 33-year-old forward needs this tournament now more than ever.

Tonight at Adrar Stadium in Agadir, Morocco, Egypt face Zimbabwe in their Group B opener, and for the 33-year-old Liverpool forward, this tournament represents perhaps his final opportunity to fill the glaring void in an otherwise gilded career.

Egypt last lifted the AFCON trophy in 2010, completing an unprecedented hat-trick of consecutive titles. That generation, featuring legends like Aboutrika, Hassan, and El-Hadary, are revered as immortals in Egyptian football. Salah, for all his achievements at the highest levels of club football, has not yet joined their pantheon.

He has reached two AFCON finals, in 2017 and 2021, but lost both. The 2021 defeat to Senegal was particularly cruel, with his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mané converting the decisive penalty in the shootout. In both tournaments, Salah was named in the Team of the Tournament, yet returned home empty-handed.

The weight of expectation is immense. Egypt are seven-time AFCON champions, more than any other nation in African football history, yet their greatest ever player has never won it even once. Anything less than glory is considered failure by demanding supporters. Current coach Hossam Hassan, himself a three-time AFCON champion, has been explicit about the mission: Salah needs to win the Africa Cup of Nations to complete his legacy.

Tonight's opponent, Zimbabwe, should not pose insurmountable problems. Egypt have dominated past encounters and possess overwhelming quality throughout their squad. Omar Marmoush has emerged as a vital creative outlet, while Trezeguet was Egypt's top scorer in qualifying. Yet complacency would be dangerous: one poor result can derail an entire campaign.

Salah arrives amid turbulence at Liverpool, where he has struggled this season and faces an uncertain contractual future. But Hassan reports the captain's morale in training is excellent, and international football often provides established stars a platform to reconnect with their sharpest instincts.

The situation mirrors Lionel Messi's 2022 World Cup redemption. The difference? Messi had already won the Copa América. Salah has nothing at international level. Victory would transform him from merely Egypt's greatest export to potentially its greatest player. Defeat would leave that debate forever unresolved.

At 33, with time running out, Mo Salah will be hoping to win something for his nation. The missing piece awaits. The quest begins tonight.