Salah's goal count sparks debate: Federation and FIFA count differently

Mohamed Salah drew attention during the international break when he thinned his beard and made his moustache more defined. Egyptian fans commented that his new look resembled that of Turkish footballers.

Salah found the net twice in Egypt's 5-0 win over Malawi in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. According to the Egyptian Football Federation, the captain, who reached 70 goals, passed Hossam Hassan, who had 69.

In FIFA's records, however, Salah's goal tally is 68. The source of the difference is a friendly match against Swaziland in 2013. The coach at the time, Bob Bradley, made 10 substitutions in that game, exceeding the permitted limit. For this reason, FIFA did not count the match as a full international, and the two goals Salah scored that day were not entered in the records.

According to this count, Salah needs one goal to catch Hassan and two to pass him.