Mohamed Aboutrika surely boasts one of the most impressive medal
collections in the whole of African football. The 30-year-old playmaker
is the living embodiment of success in the Egyptian game. He
spearheaded his country’s triumphs at the 2006 and 2008 CAF Africa Cup
of Nations, and led Cairo giants Al Ahly to four consecutive domestic
championship titles.
Thanks in no small part to Aboutrika’s outstanding ability, Al Ahly
have hit the international headlines too, as the Red Devils marched to
CAF Champions League glory in 2005, 2006 and 2008. The reward for this
year’s exceptional achievement was another tilt at the FIFA Club World
Cup, the Cairo outfit’s third shot at the trophy and one of the few
winners’ medals missing from Aboutrika’s list of honours.
After finishing a creditable third in 2006, when Aboutrika contributed
three goals, Al Ahly arrived in Japan for this year’s event with their
sights set on a sensational triumph. However, despite leading 2-0 at
the interval, coach Manuel Jose’s men fell 4-2 after extra-time in the
quarter-finals to Mexican side Pachuca, forcing them to put their world
title dreams on ice for at least one more year.
On Thursday, Aboutrika and his team-mates will be seeking a consolation fifth-place finish when they take on Adelaide United.
FIFA.comspoke exclusively to the amiable and modest midfield star about the
FIFA Club World Cup 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup
qualifying, and his
personal future.
- اقتباس :
- I want to say a heartfelt thank-you to all the fans and I just hope I can repay their faith in me.
The ever-humble Aboutrika is eager to make an impression for all of his supporters.
FIFA.com: How disappointed are you with your quarter-final exit to Pachuca?Mohamed Aboutrika: As a player, you basically have to
deal with all kinds of results, but we’re a top team, and losing this
match after going 2-0 up was very painful indeed.
Why did you lose the game?We were 2-0 up at half-time, and then we scored a third after the
interval, only to have it ruled out. Pachuca pulled one back almost
immediately after that, so instead of it being 3-0 to us, it was
suddenly only 2-1. Their goal was the turning point in the match.
Pachuca finally hit their stride, and we suddenly lost the plot, our
confidence evaporated.
You can still lead your team to fifth place against AdelaideUnited, and you would personally become the all-time leading scorer atthe FIFA Club World Cup if you score at least once. Does that make youeven more motivated?I’m not even thinking about it. Being the top scorer or winning any
kind of individual award doesn’t bother me. All that matters to me is
the team. We have to go out there and prove we’re a quality team. We
need to recover from the defeat to Pachuca as quickly as possible, so
we’re determined to win our next match and leave behind a good
impression.
You’re a candidate for African Player of the Year 2008. What does the nomination mean to you?Making the shortlist for this award is a great honour. It means I’m
being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Didier Drogba,
Samuel Eto'o and Michael Essien. African footballers rate as some of
the best in the world these days.
In qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, Egypthave been grouped with Algeria, Rwanda and Zambia. How would you rateyour chances of qualifying for the finals?We’re favourites to win the group on paper, but that means nothing in
football. The only thing that matters is giving everything in every
game. All the other teams are strong, so we’ll need to be at our very
best to qualify.
Two of your fellow-countrymen, Ahmed "Mido" Hossam and AmrZaki, are enjoying great success in the English Premier League. Can yousee yourself switching to a leading European league at some point?Clubs from overseas have approached Al Ahly. England or Spain appeal to me, but otherwise, I have no reason to leave.
In our latest FIFA.com poll, we asked our users which star theywere most looking forward to seeing at the FIFA Club World Cup 2008.You comfortably received the most votes, easily consigning no less aplayer than Cristiano Ronaldo to second place. What do you make of that?I really don’t want to compare myself to Ronaldo or be compared to him,
he’s an exceptional, world-renowned player. I’m proud of the chance to
take part at this tournament and measure myself against the world’s
best players. Naturally, I want to say a heartfelt thank-you to all the
fans and I just hope I can repay their faith in me. I promise I’ll keep
doing my best in the future, and keep trying to win trophies.
تريكه للفيفا: الفوز فى مباراة "أدليد" أهم من تصدرى لقائمة هدافى البطولة على مر تاريخها