Ahmed Hassan

For the former President of Iraq, see Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr

Ahmed Hassan

Personal information
Full name	Ahmed Hassan Kamel Hussein (Arabic:أحمد حسن كامل حسين)
Date of birth	2 May 1975 (1975-05-02)
Place of birth	Maghagha, Egypt
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder Winger
Club information
Current club	Zamalek SC
Number	17
Youth career
1991–1996	Aswan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–1997	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–	Zamalek SC	15	(9)
National team‡
1995–	Egypt	179	(32)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20/9/2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14/11/2010

Ahmed Hassan (Arabic: أحمد حسن‎) (born 2 May 1975 in Maghagha, Egypt) is an Egyptian footballer. He currently plays as an attacking midfielder or on the right wing for the Egyptian Premier League club Zamalek SC and the Egyptian national team. He is the most capped male footballer in history with 179 appearances for Egypt.

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. 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", 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.

In 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.

Africa Cup of Nations

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. 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. As of January 25, 2010, Hassan has become Egypt's most capped player with 170 caps. Ahmed Hassan is one of a number of players who have earned more than 100 international caps for Egypt, and is currently the third most capped player for any country, behind Mohamed Al-Deayea of Saudi Arabia and Claudio Suárez of Mexico.

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 Emana 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. 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. 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.

Honours

• Turkish Cup 2006
• Belgian First Division 2007
• Belgian Cup 2008
• Belgian Supercup 2007
• Egyptian Premier League 2009,2010
• CAF Champions League 2008
• Africa Cup of Nations 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010
• Africa Cup of Nations MVP 2006, 2010
• 2010 Best African-based Player [1][2]

Holland-Belgium World Cup bid

Hassan was selected as an ambassador for the Holland-Belgium 2018 or 2022 World Cup bid along with Ruud Gullit.

External links

• http://www.egyptianplayers.com/ahmed-hasan/Ahmed-Hassan-page.htm
• (English) Player profile at rsca.be
• http://www.socceregypt.com/socceregypt/socceregypt.php/2006/4/24/egyptian_player_abroad_playeras_profile_1
• Profile at TFF.org
• ESPN Profile