A former Egypt international has slammed Mohamed Salah's captaincy skills following the Pharaohs' disappointing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, insisting the Liverpool winger is nothing like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Ex-Egypt striker Mido, who earned 50 international appearances for the north African giants, has been publicly critical of the 31-year-old, who left the 2023 AFCON mid-tournament after choosing to recover from a hamstring injury in England.
The 40-year-old has once again singled the Liverpool superstar out for scrutiny, insisting he lacks the leadership skills to be compared to all-time greats Messi and Ronaldo.
"Is Messi as a leader for Argentina like Salah as a leader for Egypt? Salah is Egypt's star, but does what he does with the national team resemble what Messi does with Argentina?" he asked on The Untold Podcast.
"Does Salah do what Ronaldo does with Portugal? Directing players in penalty kicks, saying who will take the shot and who will follow, and imposing his personality on everyone.
"Salah has evolved mentally, but he has never been a leader on the pitch, the evidence for that is why he didn't get the captain's armband at Liverpool. Ask yourself why Salah has never worn the captain's armband for Liverpool.
"Don't say it's because he's a foreign player, as this is not a factor in English football, and there is ample evidence. Salah was negatively affected by becoming the captain of Egypt. He would have had more freedom and less pressure if he remained without that armband."
Mido, once on the books of Tottenham Hotspur in England, continued by suggesting Salah would not have performed as well for his club side if he were captain.
"If Salah were the captain of Liverpool, he wouldn't have delivered the same strong performance. He is one of those players who find it difficult to bear the burden of captaincy," he added.
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"Salah cannot wear the captain's armband with Mohamed El-Shenawy and Ahmed Hegazi on the pitch. Hegazi, specifically, is the captain of Ittihad Jeddah, one of the oldest clubs in Saudi Arabia."
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