Ahmed Hassan (footballer)

Ahmed Hassan (Egyptian Arabic: أحمد حسن‎; born 2 May 1975 in Maghagha, Egypt)[3] is a retired Egyptian footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder or on the right wing for Egyptian national team. He is the most capped international male footballer in history, with 184 appearances for The Pharaohs. He is regarded as one of the best players in African football history.[4]

Ahmed Hassan
Personal information
Full name Ahmed Hassan Kamel Hussein
Date of birth (1975-05-02) 2 May 1975
Place of birth Maghagha, Egypt
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1991–1995 Ismaily
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1997 Aswan 15 (7)
1997–1998 Ismaily 22 (6)
1998–2000 Kocaelispor 49 (5)
2000–2001 Denizlispor 30 (8)
2001–2003 Gençlerbirliği 41 (23)
2003–2006 Beşiktaş 79 (30)
2006–2008 Anderlecht 56 (20)
2008–2011 Al Ahly 58 (22)
2011–2013 Zamalek SC 25 (9)
Total 375 (130)
National team
1995–2012 Egypt 184[2] (33)
Teams managed
2015 Petrojet
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Ahmed Hassan started his professional football career as a right-back at Aswan Club in the Egyptian lower divisions. After one season there, he moved to the more successful Ismaily. He was 20 when he was selected for the first time to play in the Egyptian national team's friendly match against Ghana on 29 December 1995.[5] After his impressive performances with the Egyptian national team in the African Cup of Nations 1998, including scoring a goal from a long range shot against South Africa in the final that helped the squad win the tournament, Hassan joined Turkish side Kocaelispor at the age of 22. In 2000, he was transferred to Denizlispor before joining his Egyptian international teammate Abdel-Zaher El-Saqua in 2001 when he moved to Gençlerbirliği. Following three successful seasons with the club, during which the team twice made the Turkish Cup Final, he moved to Beşiktaş where he was a first team regular as well as a regular on the team's scoring sheet. He particularly impressed manager Jean Tigana who, despite being known for selecting younger players for his first team, still regarded the 30-year-old Hassan a key player of the squad. Tigana stated that "Hassan is a hardworking player who is quick and talented."

RSC Anderlecht

After Hassan was named "Best Player of the African Cup of Nations 2006" he met Ziyad Abou Chair who gave him licence to play in foreign countries,[6] Fulham, Rangers, Newcastle United, and Espanyol were reportedly interested in signing him. However, he chose to move to R.S.C. Anderlecht, the Belgian First Division champions, on a free transfer after choosing not to extend his contract with Beşiktaş, which ended in 2006. Hassan joined Anderlecht due to its automatic qualification to the UEFA Champions League and became an important part of the Anderlecht attack, setting up and scoring goals himself. His position in the midfield was in front of Lucas Biglia and Jan Polák, just behind the strikers Serhat Akin and Nicolas Frutos. In the 2007–08 season, he stated that that season would be his last for Anderlecht. His family had already returned to Egypt, and he followed them there.

Returns to Egypt

Ahmed Hassan chose to move to Egyptian club Al Ahly to end his career in Egypt, signing a three-year contract as of May 2008. He scored in his first competitive match against legendary rival Zamalek, in the opening of the CAF Champions League, from a long-range free-kick. In September 2010 he suffered a career-threatening injury in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone that would keep him away from the fields for six months.

On 19 July 2011, Hassan signed with Ahly's bitter rivals Zamalek to a two-year contract as a free transfer after his contract with Ahly expired. On 20 September 2011, Hassan made his official debut with Zamalek in a cup match against Wadi Degla giving a phenomenal performance and scoring two goals and helping his team defeat Degla 4–1 and qualify to the next round. When the league was stopped in February due to the Port Said Stadium disaster, Hassan had played in all 15 games for Zamalek finishing as top scorer of the team with 7 goals. He then scored in a CAF Champions League match against Moroccan Maghreb Fez with a header in the 81st minute. On 16 January Hassan scored in a friendly against Ukrainian giants FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

International career

Hassan has played in eight Africa Cup of Nations tournaments for Egypt, winning the tournament four times, in 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010. In the 2006 tournament, he was named captain and scored four goals in six matches, the second-highest individual goal tally in that year's tournament.[6] He was named best player of the tournament after winning his second title and Egypt's fifth, a feat he repeated in 2010 at the age of 34. In 2008, Hassan captained Egypt to their sixth Africa Cup of Nations victory. Ahmed Hassan is one of a number of players who have earned more than 100 international caps for Egypt, and is currently the most capped male player for any country, ahead of Mohamed Al-Deayea of Saudi Arabia and Claudio Suárez of Mexico. He also holds the record for most Africa Cup of Nations won by any player in history.

Hassan broke Hossam Hassan's appearance record with his 170th cap for Egypt on 25 January 2010 in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter final against Cameroon. He had an eventful game: he headed an Achille Emaná corner into his own net (though Emana was credited with the goal); equalized from long range and claimed the final goal in a 3–1 win in extra time from a free-kick despite replays showing the ball did not cross the line.[7] On 31 January 2010, Hassan picked up his fourth Africa Cup of Nations winners's medal as Egypt defeated Ghana 1–0 in the final.[8] In November 2011, Hassan played his 178th game for Egypt in a friendly against Brazil. In doing so he matched the record for international appearances.[9] On 27 March 2012, Hassan started a friendly match against Kenya breaking the world record for most international appearances for any international male player with 184 matches played.

International
Egypt national team
CareerAppsGoals
1995–201218433

International goals
Scores and results list Egypt's goal tally first.[10][2]

Honours

Ismaily

Beşiktaş

Anderlecht

Al Ahly

Zamalek

Egypt

Individual

Holland–Belgium World Cup bid

Hassan was selected as an ambassador for the Holland–Belgium 2018 or 2022 World Cup bid[13] along with Ruud Gullit.[14]

Charity work

Hassan is President of The SATUC Cup, an international football competition for refugees and orphans.

References
  1. "Player Profile". footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  2. "Ahmed Hassan – Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  3. RSCA.BE, Official website of RSC Anderlecht Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Dove, Ed. "The 50 Greatest African Players of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  5. MTNfootball.com – MTN Africa Cup of Nations – Player Profile: Ahmed Hassan (Egypt) Archived 20 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "FIFA.com The Official web site of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association". 18 July 2006. Archived from the original on 18 July 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  7. "Egypt 3–1 Cameroon". BBC Sport. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  8. Wilson, Jonathan (1 February 2010). "Egypt in seventh heaven as they conquer Africa again". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2 February 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  9. Egypt's Ahmed Hassan equals international appearance record BBC Sport. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  10. "Huszti, Szabolcs". National Football Teams. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  11. "Ahmed Hassan: African Player of the Year". CAF. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010.
  12. Ahmad Hassan named best African-based Player of the year 2010 20 December 2010.
  13. Gullit Appointed President of Holland-Belgium World Cup Bid; Cruyff Named Ambassador Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine 9 February 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  14. Gullit Named President Of Netherlands – Belgium Cup Bid The New York Times. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
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