Ahead of his team's all-important round of 16 clash against the Ivory Coast on Wednesday night, Egypt captain Mohamed Salah has expressed his views on why he holds the Africa Cup of Nations in such high regard.
The Egyptian has helped Liverpool end a 30-year wait for a Premier League trophy and win their sixth UEFA Champions League title, but the competition he most looks forward to winning is the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations.
"I lost it in Gabon 2017 against Cameroon in the final, but I can assure you that it is the trophy that I want to win most. I work to win it and that is the story with all the Egyptian players present here," he said, according to CAF's official website.
The seven-time champions have not lifted Africa's biggest continental trophy since 2010, which marked a third consecutive AFCON triumph for the Egyptians, having also won it in 2006 and 2008. Salah, though, is keen to etch his name into his country's prestigious legacy.
Egypt have yet to find their rhythm at this edition's tournament, scoring just two goals in three matches so far, and the forward knows that if they want to be champions again, they will need to be at their best to beat the Elephants on Wednesday.
"Against Cote d'Ivoire, it won't be easy, but our team is gaining momentum. It will be a very tight match," Salah added.
The Pharaohs have beaten Ivory Coast just twice in their past six meetings, with the last match between them coming in 2013, in an international friendly that ended 4-2 to the West African country.
