Statistics show that Mohamed Salah is outperforming Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the international stage, thanks to his outstanding performance with the Egyptian national team at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The “Egyptian King” led his country to the semi-finals of the tournament after a 3-2 victory over Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals, a match in which the Liverpool star scored a goal.
Salah reached his 100th goal contribution for the Egyptian national team, with 65 goals and 35 assists. He contributed to 5 goals in this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (scoring 4 and assisting 1).
Salah’s 100th goal contribution comes after just 111 international appearances for the Pharaohs. Lionel Messi needed 122 international matches to reach 100 with Argentina, while Cristiano Ronaldo took 126 international matches to achieve 100 goal contributions with Portugal.
Only two players have reached 100 international goals faster than Salah: Brazilian legend Pelé, who needed just 77 matches, and Neymar, who achieved it in 94.
Salah is now eyeing two extraordinary records. The first is becoming Egypt’s all-time leading scorer, a feat he needs just three goals to surpass (Hossam Hassan currently holds the record with 68 goals). The second is becoming the Pharaohs’ all-time top scorer in the Africa Cup of Nations, needing only one more goal to equal Hassan El-Shazly’s record of 12 goals.
Egypt faces a tough challenge against Senegal in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final next Wednesday in Tangier. If they win, they will face the winner of the Morocco-Nigeria match in the final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
