Salah stirred up widespread controversy over the past hours, after scoring two goals in Egypt's sweeping 5-0 win over Malawi on Friday evening at Cairo Stadium, in the third round of Group Two in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Fortune smiles on Salah after a struggle
The Trabzonspor star endured rotten luck in front of Malawi's goal for 84 minutes, firing in more than one shot only to see the visiting defence and goalkeeper keep him out every time.
Then fortune smiled. Salah grabbed Egypt's fourth goal six minutes before the end of normal time, heading home a well-placed cross from substitute Ibrahim Adel.
Deep in stoppage time, young striker Hamza Abdelkarim won a penalty after the goalkeeper brought him down. Salah stepped up and dinked home a Panenka for the fifth.
A brace ends Salah's drought
The brace ended a scoring drought that had stretched four matches for Egypt, dating back to his goal against New Zealand in the second round of the group stage at the 2026 World Cup.
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The Egypt captain had drawn blanks against Iran, Australia and Argentina at the World Cup, then against Angola in the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He also missed the big 5-0 win over South Sudan in the second round of the qualifiers.
Salah's celebration opens the door to controversy
His brace against Malawi reignited the row over the true number of Mohamed Salah's international goals, particularly with the chance of him breaking the record of Hossam Hassan. The former coach, sacked from his post last week, scored 69 goals in the Egypt shirt between 1985 and 2006.
Salah's teammates saluted him after the final whistle, a scene that suggested to everyone the players were celebrating their captain breaking Hossam Hassan's record. Hassan's name has recently cropped up in talk of a falling-out with Salah, with reports claiming the dispute was among the reasons for the coach's removal.
The celebrations did not end there. Salah posted a picture of himself on social media holding a piece of paper with the number "70" written on it, a clear sign he believed he had become Egypt's all-time top scorer.
Statistical sources credit Salah with 70 goals
After the match, some of the most prominent statistical sources, including the French network "Stats du Foot", confirmed Salah had indeed reached 70 international goals and had therefore broken Hossam Hassan's record.
Other statistical sources told a different story. Most notably, the network "Transfermarkt" put Salah's tally at just 68 goals.
The Swaziland match behind the origin of the crisis
The row traces back to 2013, at the start of Salah's international career, when he scored twice in Egypt's big 10-0 win over Swaziland in a friendly.
Doubts swirled at the time over whether FIFA had recognised the match on its international agenda, especially as former coach Bob Bradley made 10 changes during the game, a number that exceeds the limit permitted in recognised international matches.
The match never appeared in the list of Egypt's matches published on FIFA's official website, which reinforced the possibility it was not counted, and that Salah's brace was therefore left out of his international tally.
FIFA's report adds to the confusion
FIFA itself then poured fuel on the fire, after its official website published a report on the most notable goals of the Egypt captain, following his last goal against New Zealand during the World Cup.
That report put Salah on 68 international goals, a figure some sources leaned on as evidence the player had reached 70 after his brace against Malawi, and had therefore surpassed Hossam Hassan's record of 69.
Fifa.comFIFA backtracks and corrects the figure
As the controversy escalated over the past hours, FIFA moved to correct what had appeared in the report published after the New Zealand match, admitting an error in the count.
The governing body amended Salah's goals in the report from 68 to 66, which means the player's overall tally after his brace against Malawi stands at 68, not 70.
Fifa.comFIFA thus settled the matter in favour of Hossam Hassan's record staying intact as the best in Egypt's history, confirming Salah has not yet broken it.
Salah faces a new chance to break Hossam Hassan's record
Even so, Salah will not have to wait long to equal or break the record. Egypt face Malawi again next Tuesday, away from home, in the fourth round of the qualifiers.
One goal would draw Salah level with Hossam Hassan's record of 69, while two would make him Egypt's sole all-time top scorer.
Breaking the record, should it happen, would carry particular symbolism given the crisis between the national team captain and the former coach. Hassan was sacked despite guiding Egypt to the 2026 World Cup, amid speculation about Salah's role in the decision to remove him.
How did the dispute between Salah and Hossam Hassan begin?
Hossam Hassan had hauled Salah off after 60 minutes of the Angola match in the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, a decision that angered the Trabzonspor star.
Media reports then emerged of the coach hurling insults at the players in the dressing room at half-time, which only fuelled the captain's fury.
Salah left the Egypt camp soon after and did not travel with the team for the next match against South Sudan, a move that reinforced the reports of a rift between the two.
Attempts to contain the crisis before Hossam Hassan's dismissal
Hani Abo Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association, flew to Turkey in a bid to calm the atmosphere between Salah and Hossam Hassan.
The coach refused to travel. The crisis then deepened and ended with his removal from the post.
