Mohamed Salah hits goal milestone quicker than Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo as Liverpool star becomes a centurion with Egypt at Africa Cup of Nations

That century includes 65 goals and 35 assists. He has posted that tally through 111 appearances for the Pharaohs. Salah made his international debut in 2011 and has remained a regular over the course of the last 15 years.

He is still waiting on tangible success with Egypt, having collected major honours on a regular basis at club level. Salah is desperate to break that duck in 2026 and is playing his part, as captain, in a bid to savour long-awaited AFCON glory - having previously suffered two runner-up finishes.

Salah got what proved to be the decisive goal in a 3-2 quarter-final victory over the Ivory Coast. He found the back of the net in the 52nd minute of that contest, with inspiration being offered when Egypt needed it most.

Salah has often ticked that box for the Pharaohs. He has hit 100 goal contributions in fewer games than all-time greats Messi and Ronaldo required in order to reach the same mark. He does, however, sit behind two Brazilian icons when it comes to the quickest players to that point.

Pele required just 77 matches, while Neymar - who is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer - took 94. Salah now sits just ahead of powerful Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku (113) and Uruguayan legend Luis Suarez (116).

Argentine superstar Messi, who is still going strong and expected to grace the 2026 World Cup as Argentina seek to defend the global crown that they captured at Qatar 2022, reached a century through 122 games and now has 115 goals to his name.

Ali Daei, who was the leading marksman in men’s international football prior to evergreen Ronaldo erasing his name from the history books, posted 100 goal contributions through 123 games for Iran.

Robert Lewandowski took 128 matches for Poland, while Portuguese GOAT Ronaldo and German striker Miroslav Klose - the top marksman at World Cup finals - each required 136 caps in order to reach a notable century.

Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!

Salah is a legend in his homeland, but has been told that he needs to win the Africa Cup of Nations in order to become a continental icon. Ex-Nigeria star Jay-Jay Okocha has told Channel 4: “In Africa you might win whatever trophy with your club, if you don’t win anything for your nation, they don’t regard you as a legend.

His fellow countryman, former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, added: “This man here will be looking to get his hand on this tournament because he hasn’t won it. You can talk about the Premier League and the Champions League, but he has to win the AFCON.”

Salah, who has claimed domestic and continental titles with Liverpool, is pleased with what he has seen from Egypt in their AFCON quest. He said of battling past Ivorian opposition: “It was a perfect win, but as I said before, we are fighting for our country.

“Hopefully we go through the next game as well, it’s against a tough opponent, but we will give our best. We are fighting so hard, you can see the players, nobody is holding anything back. We are just carrying on.”

Egypt’s progress to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals means that Salah’s return to Merseyside will be delayed. He has already sat out meetings with Tottenham, Wolves, Leeds, Fulham and Arsenal. Arne Slot will not be able to call upon the prolific winger in an FA Cup clash with Barnsley on Monday.

The AFCON final is set to take place on January 18, meaning that Salah will sit out a home date with Burnley as well if Egypt earn a shot at the ultimate prize in Morocco. Questions of his future were asked at club level prior to leaving on international duty, having aimed an explosive blast at Liverpool, but he is being tipped to see out at least a few more months of the two-year contract extension that he signed back in April 2025.