Mohamed Salah, the player for English club Liverpool and the Egypt national team, confirmed that he "aspires to win the Africa Cup of Nations this year, scheduled to take place between January and February in Côte d'Ivoire." Salah and his teammates in the "Pharaohs" team are placed in Group B of the tournament alongside Mozambique, Ghana, and Cape Verde.
The Egyptian forward spoke to British network Sky Sports after the match between Liverpool and Newcastle United, where Salah missed a penalty but scored two goals, contributing to his team's 4-2 victory in the 20th round of the Premier League.
Salah said, "At halftime, I told myself: Do you want to leave for the national team after this performance?... So I really had to focus and step it up, and I was able to do that." He continued, "It’s a great result for us; the match was very tough, and we managed to earn the three points. Now we are at the top of the table, and we need to stay calm and win every match."
Regarding his participation with his national team in the Africa Cup of Nations, he said, "Everyone asks me the same thing; I want to win this tournament, and I love winning it."
Salah added, "But without me, I am sure that Liverpool players will be able to win matches; we have fantastic players who are really good, and they just need to relax and play their football. We have players who can play in my position; they can do what I do."
He stated that playing for the Egypt national team "means a lot to me," explaining that "it’s a wonderful feeling; every time I step onto the field wearing the national team jersey... I am happy to play in the tournament (African) and I love winning it."
