Salah Becomes Egypt’s All-Time Top Scorer with 70 Goals

Egyptian captain Mohamed Salah has become the country's all-time leading goalscorer after scoring twice in Egypt's 5-0 victory over Malawi in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The 34-year-old reached 70 international goals during Friday's encounter in Cairo, moving ahead of former Egypt striker and coach Hossam Hassan, who previously held the record with 69 goals.

Salah entered the match with 68 goals and needed two more to claim the outright record.

He drew level with Hassan in the 84th minute, heading home a cross from Ibrahim Adel before converting a stoppage-time penalty to establish a new national record.

The achievement came in Egypt's third qualifying match for the 2027 AFCON, helping the Pharaohs secure a convincing victory and move to the top of Group B with seven points from three matches.

Angola occupy second position with four points, although they have a game in hand.

Salah's record-breaking performance has also generated debate over the official tally of his international goals.

The disagreement centres on two goals he scored during Egypt's 10-0 friendly victory over Swaziland on March 22, 2013, which some reports say were not recognised by FIFA as full international goals.

However, FIFA previously referred to Salah as being close to surpassing Hassan's record after he reached 68 goals in June 2026.

Following Friday's match, Salah shared a photograph on social media holding a paper bearing the number 70, seemingly celebrating the milestone.

Hassan El Shazly remains third on Egypt's all-time scoring chart with 49 goals, followed by El-Sayed El-Dhizui with 41 and Mohamed Aboutrika with 38.

Salah's achievement adds another milestone to his international career, having represented Egypt since making his senior debut in 2011.