De Bruyne and Salah Set for Poignant Final World Cup Showdown

4 days ago·2 min

Two of the Premier League's defining players are set to meet one final time as Belgium face Egypt in their Group G opener at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Monday evening.

Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah—rivals, mutual admirers, and architects of the Manchester City–Liverpool rivalry that shaped English football for the better part of a decade—will be 34 years old at kick-off. It is Salah's birthday on match day. Both men know another World Cup is possible but unlikely.

Parallel paths from Stamford Bridge to stardom

Few careers share as many landmarks as those of De Bruyne and Salah. Both arrived at Chelsea in January transfer windows two years apart and both struggled to make an impact, with De Bruyne managing nine appearances and Salah 19. Jose Mourinho, the Chelsea manager at the time, later claimed no regrets over allowing either to leave.

Temporary loans followed—De Bruyne to Werder Bremen, Salah to Fiorentina—before permanent moves to Germany and Italy respectively. At Wolfsburg and Roma, a pattern emerged: a modest debut season followed by an explosion in year two. De Bruyne registered 44 goal contributions in 56 games for Wolfsburg; Salah contributed to 33 goals in 41 appearances for Roma. Manchester City and Liverpool did not need much convincing.

What followed at their respective clubs rewrote record books. Salah claimed four Premier League Golden Boots and broke the all-time record for goals in a single 38-game season with 32 in 2017/18—a mark later surpassed by Erling Haaland. De Bruyne matched Thierry Henry's single-season assists record with 20 in 2019/20, a figure since eclipsed by Bruno Fernandes. Both lifted the UEFA Champions League once with their clubs. Both left English football having cemented legacies that will not easily be forgotten.

Head to head: Salah holds the edge

Monday's Group G match will be their 20th career meeting. Salah has won ten of the previous 19, De Bruyne only five. Their sole international encounter came four years ago, when Egypt defeated Belgium 2-1 in a World Cup warm-up match.

Context matters here. Manchester City were the more decorated side during their overlapping tenures, yet Salah's Liverpool often had the better of De Bruyne's City in direct confrontations. Monday will offer the Belgian a rare chance to level the ledger.