Mohamed Salah named captain of Egyptian national team

Manager Al-Badri believes picking Liverpool star will give team 'stability'

Mohamed Salah, top, stretches during a training session for the Egypt national team in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

Mohamed Salah speaks to teammates and staff during a training session for the Egypt national team in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

Egypt head coach Hossam El Badri during a training session in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

Egypt players jog during a training session for the Egypt national team in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

From left: Goalkeepers Amer Amer, Mohamed Bssam, Mohamed El Shenawi and Mahmoud Genesh take part in a training session for the Egypt national team in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

Mohamed Salah, centre, stretches during a training session for the Egypt national team in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

Mohamed Salah chests the ball during a training session for the Egypt national team in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

Mohamed Salah during a training session for the Egypt national team in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

Egypt head coach Hossam El Badri speaks to his players during a training session for the in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

Mohamed Salah, centre, and his Egypt teammates jog during a training session in Cairo ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Kenya.

Mohamed Salah has been appointed as captain of the Egyptian national team.

Manager Hossam Al-Badri backed the decision to name the Liverpool star the Pharaohs' captain, moving away from the tradition of giving the armband to the most senior player in the squad.

"Hossam Al-Badri, the coach of the national football team, has decided to award the captain's armband to Mohamed Salah," the Egyptian Football Association said in a statement on Monday.

"The decision came after the coach informed the players, who preceded Salah in seniority and who supported this step. Al-Badri believes that the next stage needs stability in some matters, including the leadership badge.

"The technical and administrative staff seek to arrange matters in the coming period to achieve the dream of Egyptian fans of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar."

Salah is now Egypt's second-highest goalscorer. He scored twice against Comoros in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers last month, taking his tally to 45 goals. He surpassed Hassan El-Shazly’s longstanding record of 43 goals, with only Hossam Hassan’s tally of 69 in front of him.

The decision comes at a time of intense speculation regarding Salah's future at Liverpool. The attacker recently gave interviews to the Spanish press talking about the possibility of moving to La Liga.