There are no two players more pivotal to the Manchester City-Liverpool rivalry that dominated the Premier League in the late 2010s and early 2020s than Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah.
After years battling for supremacy in English football, the two meet, perhaps for one final time, as Belgium take on Egypt in the opening Group G contest of the 2026 World Cup on Monday evening.
Both men will be 34 come kick-off, with Salah’s birthday coinciding with the game. The chances of either competing at another World Cup aren't impossible, but they are certainly slim.
They may no longer be at their best, but Group G’s opener offers one final trip down memory lane as two of football’s greats look to write a last memorable chapter to their stories that bear some striking similarities.
If anyone had told you what De Bruyne and Salah would become after their ill-fated spell at Chelsea, you'd probably laugh. The parallels of their struggles at Stamford Bridge are almost as mind-blowing as what they went on to achieve.
Both were signed by Chelsea in January transfer windows just two years apart. De Bruyne would end up making just nine appearances, whereas Salah managed 10 more.
As for the Belgian, then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho claimed to have no regrets over letting him go despite admitting he did want to keep him. He also refuted any blame for selling Salah, having originally signed him in 2014.
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Both were sent on loan to Werder Bremen and Fiorentina respectively, before securing permanent moves to the same country as Wolfsburg and Roma came calling.
After settling in during their first seasons, they sprang to life during the second. Forty-four goal contributions in 56 games for De Bruyne. Thirty-three in 41 for Salah. Man City and Liverpool came calling and the rest was, quite literally, Premier League history.
Not only did they go on to enjoy great collective success, winning multiple league titles, domestic cups and a Champions League apiece. They also stood out individually.
Salah notched four Premier League golden boots. De Bruyne matched that feat in assists. The Egyptian broke the record for most goals in a single 38-game season (32 in 2017/18) before Erling Haaland took it. De Bruyne joined Thierry Henry with the most seasonal assists (20 in 2019/20) before Bruno Fernandes claimed it outright this past campaign.
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They left a year apart and their legacies in English football have been cemented. But who can come out on top in what could well be their final meeting?
The Group G opener will be the 20th meeting between these two icons. Who leads the way? Despite City being more trophy-laden over their respective tenures, it is Salah who comes out on top.
The Egyptian King has come out on top in 10 of their previous 19 fixtures, with De Bruyne winning just five. Only one of those came in an international game, where Egypt won 2-1 in a World Cup warm-up game four years ago.
Ultimately, it matters little in the grand context of the tournament if De Bruyne can at least restore some parity in that department. But what are the goals for these two this summer?
De Bruyne publicly said in 2022 that Belgium were 'too old' to win the World Cup. There are some newer faces at the heart of the Red Devils now, not least Jeremy Doku. However, the quality is still lacking from their 'golden generation' of 2018.
As for Egypt, the record seven-time AFCON winners haven't found success with their most famous player at the heart of it. That will irk Salah, who may have the country's best World Cup finish in mind. They've only made it out of the group stages once, in 1934. To match the current best Round of 16 qualification would be a mighty fine achievement especially since they have to play an extra game to get there.
When these two meet though, it won't truly be about any of that. It will be about two of the faces of modern Premier League football reigniting for one of the most respectful rivalries there is.
Often when you have two top players from opposing teams that are at each other's throats, you expect animosity. Not between these two. They have only ever waxed lyrical about one another.
When De Bruyne left Man City in 2025, Salah told Gary Neville: "I want to tell him congratulations for your career. He's done a phenomenal job at City, and he was great for the league."
When the shoe was on the other foot, De Bruyne said of Salah: "I think he's unbelievable. Nobody expected it. To score that many goals."
It's certainly not the level of animosity you'd have found from Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira. That's what makes it so easy to sit back and enjoy what could well be their final battle.
Are they the same players? No. De Bruyne has suffered injuries and Salah just posted his worst return in a decade. But they are still capable of producing incredible moments. Salah did just break the record for most Premier League goal involvements at a single club after all.
Maybe facing off against the other could be the source of inspiration to make a memorable start to their respective World Cup campaigns.
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Sources: Sky Sports
