The Egyptian King has found a supporting cast to carry the burden of expectation and performance with him.
All too often this season, Mohamed Salah has seemed off the pace. From a menace on the wing to warming the bench, his age has shown in his game over the past twelve months. He’s produced moments of magic, but they’ve been more infrequent as the games piled on.
Facing Belgium in Egypt’s FIFA World Cup opener, on the occasion of his 34th birthday, he rolled back the years.
In a moment of beautiful technique and elegance, he threaded a perfect throughball for Emam Ashour to open the scoring in the 19th-minute. In doing so, he became the second-oldest African player to register an assist at the World Cup since 1966, after Roger Milla (aged 38 years and 42 days) did so against England in 1990.
Salah is Egypt’s all-time second-highest goalscorer with 67, only two behind the legendary Hossam Hassan. For most of his national team career, he has been their talisman and linchpin, their attacking heartbeat and inspirational leader. In 2018, he took Egypt to their first World Cup finals appearance since 1990. In 2026, he has guided them to their second in eight years.
Also Read: Iran ordered to ‘leave USA immediately’ after FIFA 2026 World Cup match against New Zealand
Yes, the Egyptian King is not the force he once was. This past season has been a brutal reality check for him. Yet, for the first time in years, he had a supporting cast to carry the burden with him. On Tuesday, he played as a central #10 rather than on the right wing. Mostafa Ziko and Emam Ashour ran down the flanks, dovetailing well with #9 Omar Marmoush up front. Mohanad Lasheen patrolled the midfield with grit and composure. Mostafa Shobeir, on his competitive debut, was an assured presence in the Egyptian goal, making three strong saves in the second half to keep out a rallying Belgium attack.
Salah almost always plays the full 90 minutes, but in the Seattle heat, he was withdrawn with 15 minutes left for 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim. It was difficult not to view it as a passing of the baton, from Egypt’s living legend to the brightest hope of their next generation. But, as Salah left the field to a standing ovation from the entire stadium, the sentiment was of a King reborn as a Kingmaker. He had shown his wealth of experience and nous by dictating the tempo of his team’s counter-attacks, drawing multiple Belgian defenders towards himself to create space for his teammates to exploit elsewhere. He recorded 34 touches, completed 17 out of his 18 passes and created 3 chances (the most in the match).
The game ended in a 1-1 draw, but as former Egypt midfielder Ahmed Hassan saw it, “It was a draw with a taste of victory. “We had several chances to win this game… we have become a team with a terrifying ability in transition.”
Goalscorer and POTM Ashour echoed the same thoughts. “The players did a great job, but we are all sad. We really wanted to win this match. We missed many opportunities. Thankfully, we walk away with a point. This match is now over and we’ll have to start thinking of the next one,” said the Al Ahly midfielder.
“We have two of the best players in the world [Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush], which gives us lots of motivation. We didn’t come here to be guests of honour. We could have won today, but it wasn’t meant to be. We’re hopeful we’ll make up for it in the next game [against New Zealand].”
Salah will be a free agent at the end of the tournament this summer, departing Liverpool FC upon the expiry of his contract. His future is uncertain; a return to Egypt has been touted, alongside lucrative offers from the Saudi Pro League. This World Cup may well be his last. But if one game is anything to go by, he still has many more moments of magic left in him.
