Former Egypt national team coach, Hassan Shehata has called out Mohamed Salah by saying that he has done “nothing” for the team despite his good performance for Liverpool FC.
Salah is known as an icon for his home country but hasn’t been good while playing for his country. The Egyptian king is the most famous player on the Egypt national team because of his stats at Liverpool.
Hassan Shehata coached Egypt to three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles and stepped down shortly before Salah made his senior debut.
According to him, Salah has not given his country the success the country desire. While speaking about the issue with Egypt Independent, Hassan Shehata said: “Technically, and I’m sorry to say this, but Mohamed Salah [has done] nothing with the national team.
“He should have done much better than that. He must provide more when he plays for his country. He should have said this to the officials here, although he is not the one who chooses the players, but he should have said that the players here are not like the players in England.
“Therefore, the coaches have to find a way to open the space for Salah. We must find players to help him appear properly on the pitch.”
Shehata’s comments are strong, and they may be disrespectful to Salah’s cultural significance in Egypt as a global celebrity.
Recall that Salah suffered a double whammy of Afcon heartbreak and World Cup qualification failure this year, and he is yet to lead his country to a major trophy, but it was his five goals in the 2018 World Cup qualification stages that propelled the Pharaohs to their first tournament appearance since 1990.
Salah has also helped Egypt to second-place finishes at the African Cup of Nations in Gabon in 2017 and Cameroon in 2021. He is also the second-highest goal scorer in Egypt’s history, with 47 goals in 85 appearances, after only the legendary Hossam Hassan’s 68 goals in 175 appearances.
If Salah plans to play through the 2026 World Cup qualification process, he may be able to break that record. Mo Salah is already in his 30s but is still very active in front of goal which is why Liverpool values him as one of their best players.
The Egyptian king joined Liverpool from AS Roma and has since improved on his game. His current stats for Egypt are not bad and it’s only a matter of time before he hands them a major trophy.
