Salah failed to lift the African Cup, after reaching the final for the second time in its history, after he failed before that in the 2019 final against Cameroon.
But Salah’s chance of achieving the African title is still available, especially since his Portuguese counterparts, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, suffered from the same phenomenon, before they achieved the continental title “late”.
Ronaldo’s European dream
After successive shocks, including losing the European Cup final in Portugal in 2004, star Cristiano Ronaldo was able to lift the championship trophy in 2016, in an unexpected way.
Ronaldo was 31 when he won the European Cup, a late achievement for a footballer, but the Portuguese star’s persistence, combined with some luck, helped him lift the championship trophy.
Messi and the late title
As for the Argentine star, Lionel Messi, he was the worst luck, losing 3 finals of the Copa America, in 2007, 2015 and 2016.
But at the age of 34, last summer, Messi finally managed to lead his country to the expected title, in Brazil, to culminate in the championship that caused him great obsession.
Salah’s dream
After his second defeat in the championship final, some expected that Salah’s chance of achieving an international title was very slim, but the reality of the “history of legends” tells us that the matter has not been resolved yet.
Mohamed Salah is 29 years old now, and he has upcoming opportunities to achieve the African title, especially since the African Championship is held every two years, and not every 4 years like some other continental championships.
Salah will be 31 years old when participating in the 2023 African Nations Championship in Cote d’Ivoire, and he will be 33 years old in the 2025 Championship in Guinea, so the opportunity is still available, and the late achievement is the characteristic of the great players of his generation.
