Speaking about why Mo Salah doesn’t deserve to be made captain of the Egypt national team, Ahmed ‘Mido’ Hossam told King Futi: “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?
“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
“Some may accuse me of jealousy towards Salah, but those are a group of sick people. I cannot imagine Ahmed Fathi, with his value and great history, giving up the captain’s armband for Salah. It’s like Hossam Hassan relinquishing his role as captain for Ahmed Hassan. It’s hard to believe.
“These are red lines and a change in traditions followed for years, and comparisons shouldn’t be made with the cases of Messi and Ronaldo because the situation is completely different. The duo have completely different personalities and mentalities from Salah.
"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.”
Salah has been a gift for Egyptian football and one of the best players to represent the country, having scored 54 goals in 96 appearances for his nation.
With that being said, he is probably better off without the added burden of being a captain – as that freedom has allowed him to continue soaring at Liverpool – with the winger scoring 18 goals this season after Jurgen Klopp opted to make Virgil van Dijk the new captain instead of him after Jordan Henderson’s exit.
