The Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt was perfectly set up for Mohamed Salah to lead his team to the title on home territory and crown his career but Algeria's Riyad Mahrez and Senegal's Sadio Mane have stolen the show.
The two players have been instrumental in leading their sides to Friday's final at the Cairo International stadium where Senegal will attempt to win their maiden title and Algeria the first since 1990.
It will be the second time they have met in the current tournament with Algeria outmuscling Senegal to win 1-0 in the group stage.
Salah has been voted Africa's Player of the Year for the past two years but his interest in the tournament ended in round of 16 as the hosts imploded and were knocked out by South Africa.
The 27-year-old almost seemed to be trying too hard, taking on opposing defences single-handedly as his team mates ran out of ideas.
Senegal, beaten in the 2002 final, and Algeria, on the other hand, have been careful to lift the responsibility off the shoulders of their star players.
"I do not like highlighting players. We need to put a little less focus on Mahrez if we want to make this a big tournament for us," said Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi at the start of the finals.
Mahrez has responded with three goals, two of them gems.
He produced a delightful touch in controlling a pass before lashing home a left-foot shot in the 3-0 quarter-final win over Guinea and scored the winner in the semi-final against Nigeria with a stunning free kick deep into stoppage time.
Mane has netted three goals although he has also missed two penalties, prompting him to abdicate responsibility for spot- kicks, but there has been no denying his importance for Senegal.
HAPPY RELATIONSHIP Neither player had an especially happy relationship with the tournament before this year.
Mahrez scored one goal and played in all four games as Algeria reached the quarter-finals in 2015 where they lost to eventual champions Ivory Coast.
Two years later, Algeria were knocked out in the group stage without winning a game although Mahrez scored twice in the 2-2 draw with Zimbabwe.
Mane, also taking part for the third time, played two matches in 2015 when his side went out in the first round.
Two years ago in Gabon, he scored two goals but could not prevent a quarter-final elimination by Cameroon, missing the decisive penalty in the shootout.
Although both won major club titles this season - Mahrez the Premier League with Manchester City and Mane the Champions League with Liverpool - they agreed that winning the AFCON for their countries would be something special.
"To be in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations is something unbelievable," Mahrez said.
" I think we have been very good in this tournament. We scored 12 goals and conceded two, that is the source of our confidence." Mane, meanwhile, said beforehand that he would happily swap his Champions League medal for an AFCON one.
"To win for my country, which has never won an AFCON, would be magnificent," he said. "I am even ready to trade a Champions League against an AFCON. The return to Dakar would be extraordinary. It would be my craziest dream.”
THE FINALISTS
SENEGAL
Senegal have never previously won the Africa Cup of Nations Senegal have never previously won the Africa Cup of NationsEurosport
Best performance: Runners-up 2002
Previous appearances in finals: (14) 1965, 1968, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017
FIFA world ranking June 2019: 22
Coach: Aliou Cisse
Cisse captained Senegal at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, where they beat holders France in the opening game and reached the quarter-final.
His club career took in spells at Lille and Paris St Germain before playing in the English Premier League with Birmingham City and Portsmouth.
Coach Aliou Cisse speaks to Senegal's defender Lamine Gassama Coach Aliou Cisse speaks to Senegal's defender Lamine GassamaGetty Images
He coached Senegal's Under-23 team at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and then took over the senior side in 2015 and will be coaching at a second successive Cup of Nations finals.
The 43-year-old also qualified Senegal for the last World Cup finals in Russia.
Road to the final Group C
June 23 (Cairo) beat Tanzania 2-0 (Keita Balde, Krepin Diatta)
June 27 (Cairo) lost 0-1 to Algeria
July 1 (Cairo) beat Kenya 3-0 (Ismaila Sarr, Sadio Mane 2, 1pen)
Last 16
July 5 (Cairo) beat Uganda 1-0 (Mane)
Quarter-final
July 10 (Cairo) beat Benin 1-0 (Idrissa Gana Gueye)
Semi-final
July 14 (Cairo) beat Tunisia 1-0 aet (Dylan Bronn own goal)
Expected final line-up: Alfred Gomis, Lamine Gassama, Cheikhou Kouyate, Salif Sane, Youssouf Sabaly, Badou Ndiaye, Henri Saivet, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Mbaye Diagne, Sadio Mane, Mbaye Niang.
RECENT MEETINGS June 2019 Algeria 1-0 Senegal (Cairo)* Jan 2017 Algeria 2-2 Senegal (Franceville, Gabon)* Oct 2015 Algeria 1-0 Senegal (Algiers) Jan 2015 Algeria 2-0 Senegal (Malabo, Equatorial Guinea)* Sept 2008 Algeria 3-2 Senegal (Blida)# * Africa Cup of Nations match # World Cup qualifier
Best performance: Winners 1990
Previous appearances in finals (17): 1968, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017.
FIFA world ranking June 2019: 68
Coach: Djamel Belmadi
The 43-year-old French-born midfielder was on the books of Paris St Germain, Olympique Marseille, Manchester City and Southampton during a playing career from 1995 and 2009 and captained Algeria at the 2004 Cup of Nations finals.
His managerial career began at club level in Qatar and he took charge of their national team for a year but was fired after Qatar finished bottom of the group at the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.
Algeria gave him a four-year contract last July.
Road to the final Group C
June 23 (Cairo) beat Kenya 2-0 (Baghdad Bounedjah pen, Riyad Mahrez)
June 27 (Cairo) beat Senegal 1-0 (Youcef Belaili)
July 1 (Cairo) beat Tanzania 3-0 (Adam Ounas 2, Islam Slimani)
Last 16
July 7 (Cairo) beat Guinea 3-0 (Belaili, Mahrez, Ounas)
Quarter-final
July 11 (Suez) beat Ivory Coast 4-3 on penalties after 1-1 draw (Sofiane Feghouli)
Semi-final
July 14 (Cairo) beat Nigeria 2-1 (William Troost Ekong own goal, Mahrez)
Expected final line-up: Rais Mbolhi, Ramy Bensebaini, Aissa Mandi, Djamel Benlartmi, Mehdi Zeffane, Adlene Guedioura, Ismail Bennacer, Riyad Mahrez, Sofiane Feghouli, Youcef Belaili, Baghdad Bounedjah.
PREVIOUS WINNERS 1957 – Egypt (Sudan) 1959 – Egypt (Egypt) 1962 – Ethiopia (Ethiopia) 1963 – Ghana (Ghana) 1965 – Ghana (Tunisia) 1968 – Congo-Kinshasa (Ethiopia) 1970 – Sudan (Sudan) 1972 – Congo (Cameroon) 1974 – Zaire (Egypt) 1976 – Morocco (Ethiopia) 1978 – Ghana (Ghana) 1980 – Nigeria (Nigeria) 1982 – Ghana (Libya) 1984 – Cameroon (Ivory Coast) 1986 – Egypt (Egypt) 1988 – Cameroon (Morocco) 1990 – Algeria (Algeria) 1992 – Ivory Coast (Senegal) 1994 – Nigeria (Tunisia) 1996 – South Africa (South Africa) 1998 – Egypt (Burkina Faso) 2000 – Cameroon (Ghana and Nigeria co-hosts) 2002 – Cameroon (Mali) 2004 – Tunisia (Tunisia) 2006 – Egypt (Egypt) 2008 – Egypt (Ghana) 2010 – Egypt (Angola) 2012 – Zambia (Equatorial Guinea and Gabon co-hosts) 2013 – Nigeria (South Africa) 2015 – Ivory Coast (Equatorial Guinea) 2017 - Cameroon (Gabon)
Source: Reuters