Mustafa Hadji urges Hossam Hassan to respect Mohamed Salah’s leadership

Morocco great Mustafa Hadji has told Egypt manager Hossam Hassan that Mohamed Salah is “bigger than you and the history of Egyptian football”, while ranking Achraf Hakimi as the greatest player in Moroccan history.

Hadji said Salah, now 34, remained a world-class player and should be given a central role in resolving any issues within the Egypt squad.

“Salah is the captain of the Egypt national team, and you must sit down and speak with him,” Hadji said. “He can bring the team together, especially because the players respect him and listen to him.

“You cannot stand against Salah, even if you are the coach. You have a great history with Egypt, but that is in the past. Look at Zinedine Zidane: he never stood against Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema when he managed Real Madrid.”

Hadji said Hossam Hassan’s strong personality had remained unchanged since his playing days, but added that the former striker could not compete with the status of today’s leading Egyptian players.

He also praised Salah’s professionalism and said he hoped the Liverpool forward would continue playing at the highest level for “around four more years”. Hadji said Salah had been one of his favourite players since his early days at Liverpool.

Amrabat criticised over Morocco stance

Hadji was critical of Sofyan Amrabat after the midfielder reportedly made his return to Morocco conditional on the departure of coach Mohamed Wahbi.

“Amrabat plays for the Moroccan national team, which represents the country and raises its flag; he does not play for Mohamed Wahbi,” Hadji said. “You represent the country, not the coach. You are not above the team, the coach or the Moroccan flag. You must come and play silently, even if you play for only one minute, because it is an honour.”

He described Hakimi as “by far” the best player in Moroccan football history, with Yassine Bounou second and the rest some distance behind. Hadji also identified Hakimi as the leading candidate for the greatest Moroccan player after the defender won the UEFA Champions League and almost every competition he had entered.

Asked to choose between Bounou and Bono, Hadji replied simply: “Bounou.” He praised Walid Regragui for allowing Morocco to dream, while wishing Wahbi well.

Hadji attributed Morocco’s contrasting performances at the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup to the backgrounds of its players. He said 90% of Morocco’s squad came from Europe and struggled in African conditions, while 90% of Egypt’s players were raised in Egypt and accustomed to the continent’s climate.

Morocco reached the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Tunisia in 2004 and Morocco in 2025, but Hadji said the team had struggled in difficult conditions in Gabon and Cameroon. He wanted Morocco to play friendly matches in host countries before future tournaments.

He praised Senegal, Nigeria, Mali and Cameroon as strong opponents on Morocco’s route to the 2025 final, but said the final controversy meant the title remained unresolved. He also called for African referees to match the standards of the continent’s players.

Egypt fifth in Hadji’s African ranking

Hadji ranked Morocco first among African national teams, followed by Senegal, Mali, DR Congo, Egypt and Nigeria. He said Egypt’s average player age of between 30 and 33 made a higher position difficult, despite the country’s long dominance, strong domestic league and tactical discipline.

“People always say Egypt is the Germany of Africa,” he said.

Hadji said Egypt had been clearly wronged against Argentina and deserved to progress further, while Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal had performed strongly. Morocco, he added, had faced France, “one of the best teams in the world”, alongside Spain.

He favoured staging the Africa Cup of Nations every two years, arguing that 70% of Africans had no other form of entertainment besides football. He hoped Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania would prepare their stadiums in time for next year’s tournament, although he had heard it could be delayed until 2028.

Hadji selected George Weah as Africa’s greatest player because he was the first African to win the Ballon d’Or. He advised Brahim Diaz to leave Real Madrid for the Saudi Pro League, or another major league, because his limited playing time could make Morocco selection difficult.

Hadji said Morocco had developed significantly over 15 years through the Mohammed VI Academy, while Algeria’s difficulties might stem from player development inside the country.

In rapid-fire descriptions, he called Hakimi “a symbol of Moroccan football”, Herve Renard “a great friend”, Hossam Hassan “a very powerful striker”, Salah “the genius”, and Mohamed Aboutrika “the Zinedine Zidane of Africa”. He said Patrice Motsepe was difficult to describe and accused Gianni Infantino of racism against Africa, demanding “Fair Play”.