Egypt boss explains why Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah is in Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo category when it comes to legacy

Rui Vitoria is in the fortunate position of working with the Liverpool superstar as the Pharaohs count down the days to another bid for Africa Cup of Nations glory. For all that he has achieved at club level – as a Premier League and Champions League winner – Salah has never claimed a continental crown with his country.

He has at least one more chance to put that right, with Vitoria telling Record of how Salah will be remembered alongside the modern greats: “Salah is very important in our national team. And these players, who are world figures, are in fact very important in the various teams they represent. We remember a Messi, we remember a Cristiano Ronaldo, we remember a Salah, maybe Neymar, [Kylian] Mbappe. The big teams have a player like this. And our Salah brings great positivity to the whole group. You feel this positive energy that is transmitted. You can feel the pride that a team also has in having a player like this. And the impact these players have on a daily basis is enormous. And sometimes they don’t even have that idea. But they raise the level of demand. And when I say demand, I mean demand from everyone. All coaches, colleagues, structures that have to be at a high level to also monitor the performance of those players. And this is a very big challenge even for Egypt. To have these types of players, we all have to raise our level of ability. But they are decisive.”

Vitoria added on the qualities that Salah brings to the Egyptian camp: “Salah is a player I love on the pitch and I love off the pitch. Because he represents what I understand he should be as a player. Extreme humility, friendliness, very positive energy. A tremendous focus on his profession. Always concerned about colleagues and the team. And that makes me very satisfied. I’m glad we have him and he’s a decisive player.”

Salah has registered 51 goals and 29 assists through 91 appearances for Egypt and helped them to the World Cup finals in 2018. He has been in impressive form for Liverpool of late – with summer transfer speculation put behind him – and has found the target on six occasions while providing four assists in the 2023-24 campaign.