Mohamed Salah achieves what Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t so quickly: Egypt star reaches international milestone as AFCON sparks 2026 FIFA World Cup hype

The Africa Cup of Nations has always been a stage where legacies are tested, reshaped, and sometimes redefined. As the tournament edges toward its decisive phase, the spotlight has once again fallen on Mohamed Salah, whose influence stretches far beyond tactics and formations. With the 2026 World Cup looming on the horizon, the Egyptian captain finds himself at the intersection of team ambition and personal history—inevitably inviting comparisons with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two modern benchmarks of international greatness.

At club level, Salah remains the defining figure of Liverpool, but AFCON is where his legacy with Egypt is still waiting for its crowning moment. And as the Pharaohs advance into the semi-finals, a remarkable statistical achievement has quietly placed Salah ahead of soccer’s most iconic names—at least in one crucial measure.

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has narrowed to four heavyweights: Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, and Nigeria. Each nation arrives with a distinct identity, a clear tactical plan, and a roster capable of deciding matches on the smallest of margins.

These four sides were already highlighted before kickoff as the most likely contenders, and their presence in the semi-finals has only reinforced that assessment. The matchups—the Pharaohs versus Senegal, and Morocco against Nigeria—promise not just spectacle, but a clash of philosophies shaped by years of continental experience.

For Egypt, this stage feels familiar yet unfinished. The Pharaohs are Africa’s most successful nation, but their last continental triumph came in 2010—before Salah had even made his senior international debut.

The moment the hidden milestone emerges

Amid the tactical battles and title projections, an extraordinary personal landmark has come into focus—one that reframes Salah’s international career entirely. Mohamed Salah has now reached 100 international goal contributions for Egypt, combining goals and assists—faster than both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Liverpool forward achieved the feat during AFCON, scoring in a dramatic quarter-final victory over the Ivory Coast. His international record now stands at 65 goals and 35 assists in 111 appearances, a level of productivity matched in fewer games only by Pelé and Neymar.

For context, Messi required 122 matches, while Ronaldo needed 136 appearances to reach the same benchmark. This is not merely a statistical curiosity. It is a reflection of sustained influence across more than a decade of international soccer, often in tournaments defined by physical intensity and tactical pragmatism.