I won AFCON in 2006 and Jamie Carragher’s comments are disrespectful and ignorant

Former Tottenham striker Mido has strongly defended the Africa Cup of Nations after Jamie Carragher’s recent controversial comments.

The Liverpool great has been heavily criticised after he dismissed the continental competition as not being a 'major tournament' when discussing Mohamed Salah.

Appearing on Sky Sports' coverage of the Reds' 2-0 win over Manchester City, which saw Salah score and assist, Carragher joined in the debate over his Ballon d'Or chances.

The Egyptian is currently the bookmakers' favourite to claim football's top individual prize, having scored a staggering 30 goals and provided 21 assists so far this season.

But with Salah previously never finishing higher than fifth in the Ballon d'Or rankings, Carragher suggested his international career holds him back in this category.

He said: “I think the problem is the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such or maybe got a great chance of winning.

“I think it’s either the Champions League or the major tournament [that wins it], the player who excels in that, like Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe right now."

The 47-year-old was quickly pulled up on his comments by studio colleagues Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge.

Richards corrected him: “Just saying, AFCON is a major tournament," with Sturridge later agreeing, saying: "It's a fact."

Carragher has since been forced to defend himself after facing widespread criticism, with many calling his remarks disrespectful.

And former Tottenham striker Mido, who won the AFCON with Egypt in 2006, has now defended the competition, whilst expressing his disappointment over Carragher's comments.

Appearing on talkSPORT Breakfast, he said: “I really think that people don't understand how strong and how competitive the competition is.

"The African Cup of Nations is a historical tournament. And it means a lot to the African people. 

"And to get comments like this, I really think it shows a little bit of disrespect to all of us as Africans."

Watford legend Troy Deeney then asked if it is a matter of ignorance, rather than disrespect.

Mido responded: "Yes. I don't think the people who make these comments really watch the Africa Cup of Nations."

The Egyptian continued: “Again, this is a historical tournament for us. 

“In Egypt, for example, when Egypt is playing in the African Cup of Nations, there's no one in the street. Everyone is following. There is a lot of passion about football and about the African Cup of Nations.

“So I hope people understand that. And I hope people get that we have the right to have our own competitions."

Mido then hit back at Carragher's refusal to call AFCON a major tournament by highlighting the competition's quality.

He stressed: "The quality of the tournament as well is not as bad as people think. It's really top, top, top quality.

"In Africa, we have top players. We have top coaches. And we have now what we were missing before.

"We know before in Africa we had maybe strong players, physical players, but didn't have the tactical awareness.

“But now with more than maybe 2,000 or 3,000 African players playing in Europe and in the top five leagues as well, we have the players with the tactical awareness who can always give you a good game, a good game to watch.”

Turning the conversation back to Salah, Mido then backed his compatriot to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or.

When asked why his compatriot should receive football's ultimate individual prize, he replied: “Because he's better than any other player in the world, right?

“I mean, what can he do more? He's scoring goals for his club, he's showing great leadership and he's a great example for kids as well. 

“So I think it's a story that needs a good ending. And the best ending is naming Salah the best player in the world.”