Shawky was my ideal partner: Hosni Abd Rabo

Hosni Abd Rabo, the Egyptian national golden generation midfielder, said that his former teammate Mohamed Shawky contributed a lot to the high profile of the former Ismaili player.

"I used to play next to Mohamed Shawky with closed eyes, we were totally connected on the pitch," Abd Rabbo told Time Sports channel.

"Shawky was the most secure when he played next to me in the middle of the field, he always asked me to increase the offensive roles until he waited to do defensive coverage." Abd Rabo added.

The former Ismaili and Strasbourg player stressed, "Shawky's performance greatly contributed to the name and fame of Hosni Abed Rabbo in the football world."

"I played next to Ahmed Hassan and Hossam Ghaly in the Egyptian team, and they are great players, but Shawky was my ideal partner in the midfield."

Abed Rabbo was absent from the 2006 African Nations Cup crown due to injury, but he strongly contributed to winning the titles of 2008 and 2010.

Shawky, the former Al-Ahly player and Middlesbrough was present in the 2006 and 2008 championships, while he missed the 2010 edition for technical reasons.

The duo presented unforgettable matches in the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup qualifiers.