Mohamed Salah has seen it all in football, Premier League titles, Champions League glory, Golden Boots. But on Sunday night in Kansas City, the Egyptian captain experienced something he had never felt before and something his nation had waited decades for.
Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 to claim the first World Cup victory in their history. And for Salah, a man who carries the hopes of 100 million Egyptians on his shoulders every time he steps onto a football pitch, the emotion was raw and real.
"What happened today is history, for us as Egyptians," Salah said after the final whistle. "It seems to other teams like it's okay, it's fine. You see a lot of teams win their games. But for us as Egyptians it doesn't happen often. I think this is the first time in history."
Egypt had gone into halftime trailing by a goal, but a second-half turnaround powered by Salah, who scored once and set up another which completely changed the complexion of the match. It was the kind of big-game contribution that Salah has delivered time and again at club level, now finally arriving on the World Cup stage.
"I said before, we just do our best in the tournament to make the people happy in Egypt," Salah said. "And I think right now they are happy and proud. The only thing I can promise them is that we will sweat, we will run and we will give it our best."
The win puts Egypt top of Group G, having drawn their opener against Belgium. A point against Iran on Friday will seal first place, and even a defeat would likely see the Pharaohs advance to the knockout stages for the first time in their World Cup history.
Salah, who has now scored in two separate World Cup tournaments, was quick to count his blessings. "We qualified twice in the last 30, 40 years. I was lucky to play both times and score in two tournaments," he reflected. "I'm lucky to be part of this."
Egypt are writing history. And at 33, their captain is right at the centre of it all.
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