Egyptian national team - Reuters
CAIRO – 13 June 2018: The Egyptian national team, or as a lot of people around the world call them, "The Pharaohs", are finally back to the World Cup after nearly three decades of absence with a great team which includes several world class players, led by Premier League’s player of the year, the Egyptian king, Mohamed Salah.
Let’s take a look at the Egyptians history with the World Cup, and know more about the key players of the current team that will represent Egypt at the World Cup.
Egypt participated in the World Cup twice in 1934 and 1990; we first participated in the second edition of the tournament to be the first Arab and African country to participate in the World Cup.
Abdel Rahman Fawzy was the first African and Arab player to score a goal in the history of the tournament in the game that ended with a 4-2 loss for Egypt from a top ranked team back then, Hungary.
Our second participation came in 1990, the team scored only one goal from a penalty kick scored by Magdy Abdel Ghany and bid farewell to the tournament from the group stage.
After 28 years of absence, the Egyptians returned again, after topping their group of the African qualifiers, which consisted of Congo, Uganda and Ghana, and booked their seat at the World Cup from the fifth round of the African qualifiers.
The draw put Egypt in group A alongside Russia, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay; the Pharaohs' first match will be against Uruguay on Friday at 2 p.m.; then they will face Russia at 8 p.m. on Tuesday to end the group stage with a match against Saudi Arabia on Monday June 25 at 4 p.m.
Egypt Today sheds light on the key players in the Egyptian squad; those you’d better keep an eye on in the upcoming prestigious tournament.
Mohamed Salah
Having scored five out of Egypt’s seven goals in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Salah has already been crowned the tournament’s national hero.
The Egyptian star and Liverpool forward has not only been a national but a global football icon this season; he has won 37 individual awards to date, took Liverpool team to their first Champions League finals since 2007, and led Egypt to a great comeback to the World Cup after a long wait.
Position: Winger
Club: Liverpool, England
Age: 25
Shirt Number: 10
Essam el-Hadary
Having turned 45 last January, Hadary is the oldest player to participate in the World Cup.
One of the most famous Egyptian goalkeepers, Hadary has made over 150 appearances for Egypt since 1999. And with a remarkable performance in the qualifier matches, he has established himself as the first choice for the national team’s next world challenge.
Mahmoud Hassan (Trezeguet)
Perceived as the secret weapon of the team manager Hector Cuper, Trezeguet is expected to play a vital role in the attacking strategy of the upcoming tournament.
Currently on loan at Turkish club Kasımpasa S.K., Trezeguet has made a stunning performance this season and has been pursued by big European teams.
“To qualify, we’ll need to prepare well and arrive in Russia full of confidence and focused on our task. We’ll need to play each match as if it were a final,” Hassan said in an interview on the FIFA official website.
Position: Winger
Club: Kasımpasa, Turkey
Age: 23
Shirt Number: 21
Ahmed Hegazi
Egypt's international defender Hegazy has been part of the Egyptian national team since 2011; playing as a centre back for Premier League club West Bromwich Albion, he has repeatedly proven to be a rock of the defense.
It was Hegazy’s chip pass to Trezeguet in the determining matches against Congo that resulted in the winning penalty for Egypt and granted it its place in the world games.
Position: Defender
Shirt Number: 6
Club: West Bromwich Albion, England
Age: 27
Abdallah el-Said
One of the most experienced players in the national squad, Said is considered by Cuper as the mastermind of the team.
Having spent seven years at Al Ahly, Said had a vital role in winning four Premier League titles, two CAF Champions Leagues, one Confederation Cup, one Egypt Cup, two CAF Super Cups, and two Egypt Super Cups.
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Club: Kuopion Palloseura, Finland
Age: 32
Shirt Number: 19
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