Winfried Schäfer hails Mohamed Salah as African Lionel Messi

Winfried Schäfer, Ghana’s sporting director and former Cameroon coach, reflected on his emotional 2002 Africa Cup of Nations triumph and shared bold views on the upcoming 2025 edition in Morocco.

He recalled that after Cameroon’s title win in Mali, “all the players were crying” because they felt they had brought joy to parents, grandparents and the whole country.

Schäfer believes Morocco are the standout favourites after their brilliant World Cup in Qatar, but sees Egypt as a constant threat when the team truly plays for Mohamed Salah. In his words, “Salah is like Messi,” the player who delivers the final pass, changes matches and carries everyone with him when Egypt win, just as Argentina did by uniting around Messi in 2022.

Speaking about his current role, he admitted frustration that Ghana exited World Cup qualifying before he signed on, but said results since then have been excellent, with almost all games won and just one draw against Chad. He praised Ghanaian players’ quality and character, yet warned that AFCON “is not easy at all”.

On Cameroon, he questioned Samuel Eto’o’s late coaching change before AFCON but felt it could still help uncover future stars.

Finally, he backed Egypt again as genuine title contenders, if they function like Argentina did for Messi, while adding that Morocco are also “in a safe position” to chase the trophy.