Top 10 Injured Stars Before and During AFCON 2023 After Salah Limps Off for Egypt Against Ghana

• Mohamed Salah limped off injured close to halftime for Egypt against Ghana
• The Egyptian suffered a likely hamstring injury as he was holding his hamstring
• He joins a long list of stars who got injured before and during the tournament

Injuries to top football stars before or during a major tournament are regular occurrences, whether with their clubs in the final weeks leading up to the tournament or in national team camps.

Premier League star Mohamed Salah joined the long list of Africa Cup of Nations casualties after limping off a few minutes to the halftime of Egypt's 2-2 draw against Ghana.

Sports Brief looks at 10 stars who got injured before or during the tournament.

AFCON injury list

1. Mohamed Salah

The Liverpool star was substituted close to half-time yesterday with the scores level at 0-0. He walked off, holding his thigh in what looked like a hamstring injury. It is a big blow to Rui Vitoria, with the Pharaohs facing a must-win final group game against Cape Verde.

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2. Bryan Mbeumo

Per an official statement by Brentford, the forward was injured in December. He was ruled out for three months after undergoing ankle surgery. The 24-year-old could have been part of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon’s squad.

3. Taiwo Awoniyi

Per The Athletic, the Nottingham Forest forward was injured on international duty during the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Lesotho. He underwent surgery on his groin and was said to miss ‘months’ of action.

4. Wilfried Ndidi

Ndidi made it to the AFCON camp before he was later ruled out after failing to recover from an injury suffered at Leicester City. His absence dealt a big blow to the Super Eagles. Yusuf Al-Hassan replaced him.

5. Yusuf Al-Hassan

Unfortunately, Ndidi’s replacement was stretched out due to injury in the opening game against Equatorial Guinea, which ended 1-1. The Antwerp midfielder downplayed the injury as mere cramps, and he will be back soon.

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6. Victor Boniface

The high-flying Bayer Leverkusen striker travelled to Nigeria for camping before he was ruled out. He returned to Germany, where he underwent surgery and is expected to be out for about two months, dealing Xabi Alonso a big blow.

7. Sadiq Umar

The tall, lanky forward was ruled out by the national team medical team and returned to Spain. He was named in Real Sociedad squad days later for the Copa del Rey match against Osasuna, in which he came off the bench to play a part, leading to outrage on social media.

8. Sebastian Haller

Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastian Haller was ruled out of the opening game against Guinea Bissau with a muscle injury for the host country, the Ivory Coast. He also missed the 1-0 defeat to Nigeria and is hopeful to play against Equatorial Guinea in the final group game.

9. Vincent Aboubakar

Per Goal, the forward suffered a serious knee injury in training ahead of the opener and was initially ruled out of the tournament. However, he could still feature if the five-time AFCON champions go far in the tournament.

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10. Thomas Partey

The defensive midfielder has barely played for his club, Arsenal this season, and the tournament was deemed too early for him. His return date to action is unknown.

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Klopp discloses conversation with Salah

Sports Brief reported that Jurgen Klopp spoke to Salah after the winger limped off injured at AFCON 2023 and appeared to have suffered something serious.

The German manager confirmed Salah is a player that does not go down easily, and for him to have come off, he hopes it is not something serious.