Mohamed Salah has sent a farewell message to Egypt head coach Rui Vitoria after he was fired following the Pharaoh's disastrous campaign at the African Cup of Nations.
What happened?
Egypt advanced to the knockout stage of the 2023 AFCON despite failing to secure a single win in the group-stage game.
The Pharaohs drew against Mozambique, Cape Verde, and Ghana to book their place in the last 16.
However, Egypt, who reached the AFCON 2021 final, crashed out of the African most prestigious tournament against DR Congo via penalties. A matter of days following their exit, Egypt announced that Rui Vitoria had been sacked.
The 2010 African champions decided to part ways with the 53-year-old in a decision that was expected by most of the team's supporters.
Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian national team captain and Liverpool forward, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his appreciation and well-wishes for his departing national team coach.
The former AS Roma player posted a photo of the coach with a caption which reads; "Thanks for everything, coach. I wish you the best in the future".
Salah's final match under Vitoria came in the 2-2 draw against Ghana, where the Liverpool forward was substituted just before half-time after picking up a hamstring injury.
Out of Salah's 86 international caps, he earned 13 caps under Vitoria, with the most outstanding outing coming when he scored four goals in a 6-0 World Cup Qualifying triumph over Djibouti in November 2023.
Vitoria took charge of Egypt in July 2022 and signed a four-year deal that was expected to keep him with Egypt until after the 2026 World Cup. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible thanks to Egypt's abysmal performance in Ivory Coast.
Some of Vitoria's successes during his time in charge, include leading Egypt to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final which they lost to Senegal via a penalty shootout.
The former Portugal international recent struggles during the World Cup qualifying matches, which came before the AFCON, also played a part in his dismissal.
Despite winning 12 of his 14 matches going into AFCON, Vitoria has now been shown the exit door, with an Egyptian former player Hossam Hassan appointed as the new manager.
Hossam will coach Egypt having been a three-time AFCON winner as a player, and he has been involved in coaching since his retirement as a footballer in 2008.
What's next for Egypt?
With Hossam Hassan being named as the new Egypt head coach, they'll be getting ready for their next encounter in a World Cup qualifying game against Burkina Faso in June 2024.
What happened?
Egypt advanced to the knockout stage of the 2023 AFCON despite failing to secure a single win in the group-stage game.
The Pharaohs drew against Mozambique, Cape Verde, and Ghana to book their place in the last 16.
However, Egypt, who reached the AFCON 2021 final, crashed out of the African most prestigious tournament against DR Congo via penalties. A matter of days following their exit, Egypt announced that Rui Vitoria had been sacked.
The 2010 African champions decided to part ways with the 53-year-old in a decision that was expected by most of the team's supporters.
Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian national team captain and Liverpool forward, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his appreciation and well-wishes for his departing national team coach.
The former AS Roma player posted a photo of the coach with a caption which reads; "Thanks for everything, coach. I wish you the best in the future".
Salah's final match under Vitoria came in the 2-2 draw against Ghana, where the Liverpool forward was substituted just before half-time after picking up a hamstring injury.
Out of Salah's 86 international caps, he earned 13 caps under Vitoria, with the most outstanding outing coming when he scored four goals in a 6-0 World Cup Qualifying triumph over Djibouti in November 2023.
Vitoria took charge of Egypt in July 2022 and signed a four-year deal that was expected to keep him with Egypt until after the 2026 World Cup. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible thanks to Egypt's abysmal performance in Ivory Coast.
Some of Vitoria's successes during his time in charge, include leading Egypt to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final which they lost to Senegal via a penalty shootout.
The former Portugal international recent struggles during the World Cup qualifying matches, which came before the AFCON, also played a part in his dismissal.
Despite winning 12 of his 14 matches going into AFCON, Vitoria has now been shown the exit door, with an Egyptian former player Hossam Hassan appointed as the new manager.
Hossam will coach Egypt having been a three-time AFCON winner as a player, and he has been involved in coaching since his retirement as a footballer in 2008.
What's next for Egypt?
With Hossam Hassan being named as the new Egypt head coach, they'll be getting ready for their next encounter in a World Cup qualifying game against Burkina Faso in June 2024.