Apr 2001
In this issue:
Emad Moteab
The Ahly striker looks to be on his way to the Premiership after a string of successful seasons in Egypt
Issue: Feb, 2010
It looks very much like yet another Egyptian will be making his way to the English Premier League this year.
Ahly’s burly striker Emad Moteab has been attracting a number of talent scouts, with Sunderland and Bolton both heading the queue for his signature after Portsmouth seemed to have ended their interest.
Despite the patchy success of Amr Zaki and Mido over the past two seasons, and the fact that Moteab has already been turned down by Middlesbrough – Who? Exactly – the 26-year-old has an impressive scoring record both for his club and country, not least that header in the 95th minute against Algeria in the World Cup qualifier last November.
Although he wasn’t snapped up during the European transfer window, mainly because he was still in Angola helping Egypt win the African Cup, it remains highly likely that he will be in England at some point in the summer. Reports vary as to his asking price, with an implausible range from £150,000 to a more likely £1.2 million. But what we do know for sure is that Moteab isn’t his real name. Emad Mohamed Abdel Naby Ibrahim earned the moniker “moteab” – or “disturbing” – because of the problems he gave opposition goalkeepers in various youth groups. So now you know.
Consummate goalscorer
Emad Moteab has that all-important gift of being able to score with both feet, his chest and just about anything else. A right-footed scissor kick for Egypt against Belgium in 2005 announced his arrival on the international stage, while a delicious left-foot curler from the edge of the box for Ahly against Zamalek in May 2006 endeared him to one half of Cairo. As for headers, one against Algeria comes to mind.
Quick starter
Moteab has made an immediate impact on every new stage of his professional career. He scored after only 11 minutes of his Ahly debut in 2004, going on to score three goals in his first professional match. He also scored in his first Cairo derby, netting a 4-2 win over Zamalek. He then scored three goals in his first African Cup of Nations as Egypt went on to secure the 2006 trophy.
Prodigious strike rate
Moteab averages a goal every other game for Ahly, with 90 goals in 178 games, and a similarly impressive 33 goals in 61 games for Egypt – placing him fourth on the all-time list. In 2004/05, he was the top scorer in the Egyptian league, and is already the third-highest goalscorer in the Ahly-Zamalek fixture with eight goals – just one goal behind joint leaders Aboutreika and Hossam Hassan.
The ultimate team player
Although he was unable to spark in the 2008 African Cup of Nations, failing to score as Egypt successfully defended their crown, his unselfish running and implacable attitude to the rotation system meant coach Hassan Shehata nominated him for the “best team effort”.
Individual brilliance
He might be known for a striker’s instinct inside the box, and surprising heading ability considering his modest 1.76m height, but his individual ability places him more like Wayne Rooney than Michael Owen. In the 2003 World Youth Championships, he scored a dazzling solo goal against England as Egypt reached the semi-finals – dumping four English defenders on their backsides.
Big-match temperament
With five goals in the African Cup of Nations games and eight in Cairo derbies, he has proven that he is the man for the big occasion. It was no surprise that Egyptian coach Hassan Shehata turned to him when in desperate need for a vital second goal in the World Cup qualifying game against Algeria in November last year. He left it late, but his header forced a play-off.
