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The Egyptian star is participating in the most important tournament of his life. Will he get the ending he deserves?
In a career full of records and individual and team titles, the World Cup remains the biggest turning point in Mohamed Salah’s journey. The Egyptian star, who rose to fame in European stadiums and led Liverpool to domestic and continental stands, today faces his last chance to make a real mark at the most important tournament at national level.
At the age of 33, Salah enters the 2026 World Cup knowing that the next game could be his last on the global forum, as he will be 37 by the time the 2030 World Cup comes around. Therefore, the next tournament looks like more than just a new entry; This is the last chance to write the missing chapter in the history of one of the greatest Arab and African players in history.
The dream deferred in Ghana
Despite all that Mohamed Salah achieved during his career, the World Cup remained the most persistent tournament for him.
In 2013, the Egyptian star was still at the beginning of his international journey as the Egyptian team came close to reaching the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
At the time, Salah was playing alongside the rest of the golden generation, including Mohamed Abou Trikah, Wael Gomaa and Ahmed Fathi, but a crushing 6-1 defeat to Ghana in the first leg of the crucial qualifying round ended the dream before it began.
When Ramos stole his date with the world
Four years later, Salah has gone from a promising talent to one of the best players in the world. He led Egypt to the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a historic goal against Congo at the Cairo Stadium and brought the Pharaohs back to the World Cup after a 28-year absence.
But misfortune struck him at the worst moment. A few days before the start of the tournament, he suffered a serious shoulder injury during the Champions League final against Real Madrid after a famous challenge on Sergio Ramos.
Salah missed the opener against Uruguay, followed by appearances in Russia and Saudi Arabia and scored in each game, but he was not the type to dazzle Europe in a Liverpool shirt, and Egypt’s disappointing first-round exit.
Senegal closes the door twice
On the way to the 2022 World Cup, Salah looked more prepared and experienced than ever. He won the Champions League and the English Premier League and became one of the game’s biggest international stars.
But Senegal once again stood in their way. In the space of a few months, Salah lost an African Cup of Nations final and then a World Cup qualifier to the same opposition, both times going to penalties, thus evaporating his dream of a second consecutive World Cup.
From the top to the question marks
In the 2026 edition, the path seemed less complicated. Egypt benefited from the lessons of the past and managed to avoid dropping points against lower-tier teams, while the increased number of African spots helped them qualify for the finals.
But while the previous two editions saw Salah reach the peak of his technical level at the World Cup, this time the situation is completely different.
The Egypt captain enters the tournament after what has been described as one of the most difficult seasons of his professional career, a season which ended with his departure from Liverpool after nine successful years.
In recent months, Salah has gone from a record-breaking star to a player whose place in the first team has become the subject of debate after his level has clearly fallen in comparison to the English fans.
Controversy surrounding his relationship with former Liverpool manager Arne Slott also helped to increase the pressure on him as he finished the season with modest attacking numbers by his usual standards, leaving the door wide open for criticism.
When the story is no longer enough
For the first time in many years, Salah faced a widespread campaign of skepticism.
Many analysts and former players saw that the Egyptian star had reached the end of his journey with Liverpool and that the team had to build a new project away from their historic star.
The intensity of criticism increased after the crisis with Slott, as some observers believed that the player did not take the decisions of his coach properly, while others saw that his decline in level no longer allowed him to claim the same role he had during his glory years.
While Salah was away from controversy for many years, he suddenly found himself facing questions he was not used to hearing. Is Mohamed Salah’s time up? Can he still compete at the highest levels?
A compass for his future
It is for this reason that the World Cup seems more important than ever for the Egyptian star.
Salah’s performances in the US, Canada and Mexico will not only affect the Egyptian national team’s journey, but could also shape the final chapter of his professional career.
The Egyptian star is set to sign the biggest and final contract of his football career, be it in Europe, Saudi Arabia or the United States.
He knows very well that negotiating from a position of strength requires restoring the lost luster. If he manages to take Egypt to the knockout round and perform at excellent levels, he will return to the fore on the world stage and could get the offer he craves.
Perhaps the highlight of the tournament is that Salah himself recently admitted that he has yet to decide on his next direction, stressing that his final decision will come after the World Cup is over.
The only glory he hasn’t touched
“I want to reach the farthest possible point in the World Cup,” Mohamed Salah summed up his biggest goal before the start of the tournament with these words.
The Pharaohs captain knows the World Cup represents the missing piece of his career. He won almost everything at club level, collected countless individual awards, became Liverpool’s all-time top goalscorer in the English Premier League and one of Africa’s greatest players. But success in the World Cup is still the biggest absence.
The tournament also gives him the opportunity to create new personal achievements. So far, Salah shares the title with the late Abdel Rahman Fawzi as Egypt’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, with two goals each.
Any further goals would make Salah the sole leader and also make him the first Egyptian player to score in more than one World Cup game, an achievement that seems fitting for his place in Egyptian football history, knowing that with his participation he will be one of only 3 players to have played in both World Cup games, alongside Mohamed El-Shenawy and Mahmoud.
The ultimate dance between heritage and responding to skeptics
Between wanting to silence the doubters, searching for his latest major contract and trying to write a new chapter in Egypt’s national team history, Mohamed Salah enters the 2026 World Cup with more than one battle at a time.
Perhaps for the first time in his career, he is playing not just to win games, but to defend the entire legacy he has built over a decade and a half. It’s the last dance… and also the last chance to achieve the much-awaited World Cup glory.
