Ace Football presents a detailed list of the best forwards to have starred for the Pharaohs.
Throughout its glorious football history, Egypt has been home to so many great players in different positions. Having won the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, the Pharaohs have always had great forwards to spearhead their title dreams.
Mohamed Salah, who has taken European football by storm in recent years, is following the footsteps of several generations of Egyptian forwards, who achieved legendary statutes after starting their careers in the North African country.
Let’s take a look at our picks for the best Egyptian forwards of all time.
5- Saleh Selim
Selim started his career at the youth level of Al Ahly before breaking into their senior team in 1948, where he stayed for 14 years. ‘El Maestro’ was one of the biggest stars of African football during the 1950s.
He won 11 league titles with Al Ahly and was a regular starter for Egypt from 1950 to 1962. He spent a four-year spell at Australian side Grazer AK but returned to Al Ahly, where he retired in 1967.
Selim was a key member of the Pharaohs squad that won the AFCON in 1959. After his retirement, Selim stayed at Al Ahly and became one of the most successful presidents in the club’s history.
4- Hassan El-Shazly
El Shazly spent all of his club career in Tersana, where he established his name as one of their greatest club legends. The Pharaohs striker made 325 appearances for the Giza side, scoring 176 goals.
He won five Golden Boots in the Egyptian Premier League, becoming the competition’s all-time top-scorer. His record of scoring 34 goals during the 1974-75 seasons is still untouched.
El Shazly made 62 caps for Egypt, scoring 42 international goals. He also became the AFCON top-scorer during the tournament’s 1963 edition.
3- Hossam Hassan
Hassan is Egypt’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals in his 178 appearances for the Pharaohs. The former Al Ahly star won three AFCON titles with Egypt while claiming the competition’s Golden Boot in 1998.
He spent a glorious spell at Al Ahly, where he won 11 league titles. Having already won the CAF Champions League with Al Ahly, Hassan repeated his success with Zamalek in 2002.
The legendary striker represented Egypt in the 1990 World Cup, where his performances earned him a move to Xamax. However, after spending a short spell with the Swiss side, he came back to Egypt to spend the rest of his career in his home country.
2- Mahmoud El-Khatib
El-Khatib is widely considered among the best African players of all time. The Qarqirah-born striker spent his entire club career at Al Ahly, where he reached legendary achievements during the 1980s.
The ‘Bibo’ scored 109 goals in his 199 appearances for the Egyptian side, winning ten domestic league titles. He also led Al Ahly to African Cup of Champions titles in 1982 and 1987.
El-Khatib played an integral role in Egypt’s AFCON triumph in 1986, three years after claiming his only African Player of the Year award. The former Pharaohs striker has been working as Al Ahly’s president since 2017.
1- Mohamed Salah
Since starting his career at Mokawloon’s U23 team, Salah has gone on to become one of the best forwards in the world. The Egyptian star played for Basel, Fiorentina, and Roma before securing a career-defining move to Liverpool in 2017.
At Anfield, Salah has won the Champions League and Premier League titles while securing two Golden Boots in the English top-flight.
The Pharaohs star won the African Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018. He also led Egypt to their first World Cup in 28 years when they qualified for the 2018 tournament. Let’s see if the Liverpool star can add an AFCON title to his trophy cabinet before his retirement.
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