The Pharaohs captain, Mohamed Salah, a Trabzonspor forward, joined the Egypt national team camp on Tuesday, welcomed by new head coach Ali Maher ahead of the double-header against Malawi on 13 and 17 November.
Trabzonspor forward Mohamed Salah, 34, arrived at the Egypt national team training camp on Tuesday morning, where he was welcomed by new head coach Ali Maher, according to a statement from the Egyptian Football Association relayed by Ahram. The captain rejoins the squad just as it changes hands.
Ali Maher, 52, the Ceramica Cleopatra coach and former Al Ahly and Pharaohs forward, was appointed to lead the national team on Saturday, after the dismissal of Hossam Hassan, according to Ahram.
Ali Maher crowns his captain
The head coach placed Salah at the very top of Egyptian football’s historical hierarchy. “We have one of the best groups of players in the history of Egyptian football, led by Mohamed Salah, whom I consider the best player in Egypt’s history and a role model for players and fans alike,” said Ali Maher, in comments reported by Ahram.
The head coach is thus building on a group he considers among the best Egypt has known, with Salah as its figurehead.
A striker in top form
According to Fanatik, Salah has scored 9 goals and provided 3 assists in the first 11 weeks of the Süper Lig in the colours of Trabzonspor, where he now plays. The same source recalls that he was four-time Premier League top scorer during his nine seasons at Liverpool: 32 goals in 2017-18, 22 in 2018-19, 23 in 2021-22 and 29 in 2024-25.
His return to the Pharaohs fold comes after a quieter previous international window. Under Hossam Hassan, the forward played only one match, against Angola, and missed the games against South Sudan and South Africa, with the staff’s agreement, according to Roya News.
Malawi, the first test
The schedule is set: Egypt host Malawi in Cairo on 13 November, before the return match in Malawi on 17 November, according to Ahram and Ajel. The two games count for matchdays 3 and 4 of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The new head coach therefore has two matches to establish his team against Malawi, with a captain whose strong start to the season at Trabzonspor has been quantified by Fanatik.