FALSE 10: Hollow swan song and last dance without grace

The famous saying - often misattributed to John Lennon or Oscar Wilde - states: "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."

But what if this unassigned statement had been deceiving us all along? What if this joyous finale and the end are entirely independent of one another? What if the very disappointment suggests the inevitable end is near?

Ahead of tonight's clash between his Egypt and Nigeria (19.00) in the third-place playoffs at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations - or after it, it makes no difference - Mohamed Salah probably won't have this quote in mind. He might have never heard it in the first place. He won't think about it as a whole, but will undoubtedly ponder its two components separately - things not being okay and the end lurking just around the corner.

Yes, he is 33 and may still have a few years in the most beloved jersey. But time goes by, and no day is the same as the one before.

One day, you're 32 and arguably the best player in the world. You're carrying your team towards the unexpected Premier League title and a fantastic season, in general, recording 34 goals and 23 assists. The fans are chanting your name and putting pressure on the club's management to extend your deal. You're on top of the world.

The day after, you're 33 and struggling as much as your team. You have barely made nine goal contributions in 20 games, the boss is putting you on the bench more and more often, the fans are accusing you of being selfish, and the media are spreading louder and louder rumours about your move to some Saudi or US club, far away from the spotlight.

FALSE 10: Do they really respect African football?

Even if all these thoughts do not race through his mind, he'll be aware - sorry, he already is - that this was the moment to seize a chance and that it may never return in a year or two.

Salah is the Pharaohs' all-time leading goalscorer and will remain that for some time. He's also in their top three appearance-makers, but is he their legend, and will he ever become one? He may have missed the boat.

He'll still be the greatest player Egypt has ever had, but his legacy can never be compared with Ahmed Hassan and Essam El Hadary's - the only two four-time AFCON winners. And the reason is simple - he hasn't won anything.

At the moment when Salah opened the door to the national team and stepped into the Pharaohs' locker room, in 2011, they were the reigning African champions, having won three consecutive titles (2006, 2008, 2010). Still, the forward will have to wait until 2017 to debut at the continental tournament, as the North African country missed three Africa Cups of Nations in a row!

In the four following appearances, Egypt lost two finals and were eliminated in the Round of 16 twice. This year, Senegal and Sadio Mane crushed their dreams and possibly Salah's ultimate hope of bringing glory and silverware to his nation.

Mane celebrates his semi-final winner before Salah's eyes (©AFP)

And if Mo's maiden years with the Pharaohs could be justified with a generational shift, as one of the most decorated squads the African football has ever seen was stepping off the stage, what can be an excuse now?

Many argue that Salah couldn't do anything on his own, and they are partially correct. Apart from Trezeguet, Ahmed Hegazi, Ahmed Elmohamady, Mohamed Elneny, Omar Marmoush, and a couple more names, the Liverpool forward has hardly had any renowned support throughout his stint with the Pharaohs.

After all, let's consider the most recent case. Twenty out of the 28 players Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw called up for the 2025 AFCON play in the top five European leagues. Twenty-two out of the 28 players Egypt boss Hossam Hassan called up for the continental tournament play in their homeland, while Salah, Marmoush, and Nantes' Mostafa Mohamed are the only Pharaohs' representatives in the old continent's elite five leagues.

FALSE 10: The only Zero football has ever had

Still, there's the other side of the coin that reminds us that Egypt's glorious generations were in a pretty much the same situation, coping with African giants such as Senegal, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, etc., which had numerous players in top-notch leagues. And yet they succeeded, while Salah and Co. didn't.

The 33-year-old did manage to return Egypt to the FIFA World Cup - where they lost all three games - after 28 years (in 2018), and the Pharaohs will appear in the USA, Canada, and Mexico in five months as well.

But, one cannot help but wonder, is this achievement a good enough legacy for the greatest player in the country's history? You know the answer.

A few weeks before the 2025 AFCON, in December, during the whole drama between Salah, Arne Slot, and Liverpool's management, Jamie Carragher publicly slammed the Egyptian, speaking facts that hit the bullseye and, from this perspective, aged very quickly.

"He's the greatest player his country has ever had in Egypt. Egypt are the most successful country in the Africa Cup of Nations," the ex Reds' defender said via ESPN, but nailed it with the following sentence.

"Salah's never won the AFCON."

In other words, despite being the unparalleled football name in Egypt, he can only be a Liverpool legend. Not the Pharaohs'.

Before Salah's era, Egypt won seven Africa Cup of Nations titles, still holding the record. With him, they won none. And that's a sad statement that will go down in history books alongside all Mo's scoring and assisting achievements with the national team.

FALSE 10: Tartan Army deserved this!

Egypt and Salah may triumph against the equally disappointed Nigeria tonight and win the third place, the first team honour in the forward's national team career. But would it really be a genuine consolation for him after all the failures he suffered? Again, you know the answer.

The book with his name on its cover will lack the final chapter. The one in which the main hero finally finds love, in which the central character at last fulfils his dream, in which some superhero in a flashy costume beats all the bad guys. Salah's book will miss the happy ending.

FALSE 10: And after all, you're my Wonderwall

And damn the author of the statement about everything being okay in the end - but not the late music and literature icons, Lennon and Wilde - because they lied to us, lied to Mo, and many other Mos, who find themselves in a similar situation, expecting things to turn out fine in the end.

Life isn't a fairytale and doesn't always end well. On the contrary, endings are most often the saddest part. So, regardless of the outcome of tonight's clash between the Pharaohs and Super Eagles, for one national team, for one country and its football, and for one man with #10 on his back, and the captain armband around his arm, it will be sad.

Despite the captain armband, Salah hasn't lifted a single trophy with Egypt (©AFP)

Maybe not at first. Let's admit it, a third place could by no means be a failure. But later, when the euphoria fades, and the dust settles, and Mo remains alone in a room with his bronze medal, which should have at least once been gold, sorrow will knock on his door. He'll realize that his swan song was hollow and his last dance was without grace.

In the end, let's touch on what most of you are probably thinking while reading this text. Salah hasn't announced his retirement from the national team, and why on Earth wouldn't he win the next AFCON or the one after it - if CAF (Confederation of African Football) eventually gives up on that crazy idea to hold the continental tournament every four years - and we can only agree. It's a fair and logical question.

And if the best of all Pharaohs that has ever kicked the ball indeed accomplishes his long-cherished dream in a year, two, or five, and wins an Africa Cup of Nations - World Cup is a tall order, let's be honest - we'll be the first ones to congratulate him, show him respect, and rejoice in his success.

But, how plausible is this scenario? You know the answer.

By: LAZAR ANDJELKOVIC

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS

Third-place match

Saturday

19.00: (3.75) Egypt (3.25) Nigeria (2.20)

Final

Sunday

22.00: (3.40) Senegal (3.10) Morocco (2.30)

***odds are subject to change***