On the morning of June 16th, in the 1-1 draw between Egypt and Belgium in Group G of the World Cup, Salah set a special milestone for African football. In the 19th minute of the match, the star wearing the number 10 jersey made the decisive pass for Emam Ashour to score the opening goal.
The assist made him the first African player aged 34 or older to have an assist at a World Cup since 1990. Notably, this record was set on the Egyptian striker's 34th birthday, marking a rare milestone in the tournament's history.
Currently, the record for the oldest African player to provide an assist at the World Cup still belongs to Cameroonian legend Roger Milla. At the 1990 World Cup, he was 38 years and 42 days old when he made the assist in the quarter-final match against England. In that historic match, Milla came off the bench, won a penalty, and assisted Eugene Ekeke, giving Cameroon a 2-1 lead, before they ultimately lost 2-3 in extra time.
Following their draw against Belgium, Egypt will continue their journey in the 2026 World Cup with a clash against New Zealand on June 22nd, followed by a match against Iran (June 27th).