Can Salah End His Wait for AFCON Triumph in Morocco?

As the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 begins on Sunday, all eyes turn to Mohamed Salah, Egypt’s talisman and one of the greatest players the continent has ever produced.

At 33, Salah enters the tournament carrying the weight of expectation from a nation that has lifted the trophy more than any other, yet never with him at the centre of the celebration.

The Liverpool forward has been Egypt’s heartbeat since his AFCON debut in 2017. Over four tournaments, he has started 19 consecutive matches, scored seven goals, and provided four assists.

Twice he has led his country to the final, and twice he has walked away heartbroken.

The image of Salah waiting to take Egypt’s fifth penalty in the 2021 final against Senegal, only for the shootout to be lost before his turn, remains one of the most painful moments of his international career.

Jamie Carragher once summed up Salah’s paradox, noting that before his Liverpool renaissance he was remembered as ‘the guy who failed at Chelsea,’ yet now he stands as Egypt’s greatest-ever player.

Still, Carragher pointed out, Salah has not won AFCON. Those words sting precisely because they are true, and they hang over the forward as he prepares for what could be his final shot at continental glory.

Egypt, the most successful nation in AFCON history, arrive in Morocco as one of the favourites, second only to the hosts. For Salah, this tournament represents more than another chance at silverware, it is an opportunity to cement his legacy not just as Egypt’s finest, but as a player who delivered when it mattered most for his country.

The question remains: will AFCON 2025 finally be the year Salah lifts the trophy that has eluded him, or will his international career close without the crown every Egyptian dreams of?