After his World Cup Qualifying campaign ended in heartbreak, Mo Salah appears to be debating his retirement from international football.
The Egyptian sensation is undeniably one of the greatest players in the world. Throughout his time at Anfield, he’s stunned supporters with his supreme performances. His astonishing speed, movement, and remarkable eye for goal have contributed to him bagging 115 goals.
Since signing for the club from Roma in 2017, the attacker has become a bonafide legend. His positive influence across all competitions helped ‘The Reds’ win a sixth Champions League and their first-ever Premier League title.
But as impressive as his achievements in the club game have been, he hasn’t had the same success at the international level.
Mo Salah – international legacy
The flashy forward is the greatest player in Egyptian history. But alas, he’s still not managed to pick up that all-important piece of international silverware. The 29-year-old has struggled with the ultimate heartbreak of losing two major finals.
At the 2017 AFCON tournament, he scored twice, made two assists and even finished in the CAF Team of the Tournament. But despite his brilliant performances, his team failed to claim the trophy after losing 2-1 to Cameroon. However, his country had a shot at redemption in the 2022 edition of the tournament.
They once again made it to the final, and this time the game went all the way. But despite heroics from Gabanski, Sadio Mane slotted home the winning penalty to secure the greatest moment in his nation’s history and break Salah’s heart in the process.
Unsurprisingly, the defeat took its toll on the sportsman, but he had to deal with another dose of devastation one month later. In a decisive World Cup play-off, Egypt had their chance to avenge their defeat to Senegal. They went into the second leg of the tie 1-0 up, but they couldn’t defend it.
The home side hit back, and in a situation all too familiar, the Egyptians were in another penalty shootout. But in highly unfair conditions, Salah blazed his spot-kick over the bar. A section of the home fans shockingly shined lasers in the winger’s face. This led to Mane bagging the deciding penalty to deny his rivals a place in the 2022 World Cup.
Read: Scary footage shows Mohamed Salah being hit by missiles after Egypt World Cup exit.
Mo Salah considering retirement from international football
With Salah enduring such a bad run of luck, it’s understandable why he’s on the brink of calling time on his international career. After the game, he thanked his teammates and implied that this could be the end of the road.
As per FilGoal, he said: “I spoke with the players in the dressing room before the second leg and told them that I am proud to play with them and they are one of the finest people to have played with.”
“I have spent some time with the previous generations with Wael Gomaa and AbouTrika, as well as the Abdallah El Saeed generation, and I am very happy with the current crop.
“It was an honour to play with all of you. Whether or not I am going to be available in the future, I enjoyed playing with every single one of you.”
His inspirational words certainly indicate the end of a tremendous career for Egypt. Although he’s not won a tournament for his country, his dedication and loyalty to his homeland will never be questioned.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
