EGYPT'S former football captain intends to take on coaching after his retirement this season. Ramzi announced that he will not play for Kaiserslautern again this season and has decided to begin some coaching courses as part of his plans for the future. According to BBC online, Ramzi said he was considering working for the youth teams of Kaiserslautern. He has not ruled out continuing his playing career elsewhere. "I have talked to coach Kurt Jara and he told me that I have no chance of playing with the first team this season," he said. "But I have also received offers from several Gulf clubs and at one point I also considered returning home to end my career with Ahli. But I'm very happy at Kaiserslautern and everyone here treats me very well. I'm at a stage in which I might also have to consider hanging up my boots. I just hope I'll be able to make my final appearance when my country hosts the African Cup of Nations next year," Ramzi said. The veteran defender has been hampered by a knee injury for most of the last two years and is still struggling to make a full recovery. He first hit the headlines in Egypt as an 18-year-old with Ahli and then a year later he joined the national team which appeared at the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy after a long absence. Following the World Cup, he started his international career in Europe. Swiss club Neuchatel Xamax was his first offer and the most lucrative for any Egyptian footballer in history. The deal was worth $1 million. Ramzi eventually found his way to the Bundesliga where he played for Werder Bremen before joining Kaiserslautern in 1998. The Pharaoh became so popular among the fans and young teenagers that his former coach at Bremen Otto Rehhagel once said: "He brings more teens and girls to the stadium." However his good looks turned against him in 2002 when he was found guilty of sexual harassment and was given an eight-month suspended jail sentence. "Those were the worst moments of my life," Ramzi admitted. "This is the kind of thing that you would like to put behind you." Ramzi says he has just one regret in his career. "I think I was unlucky not to win a European title either with Bremen or Kaiserslautern." The highlights of Ramzi's career include the 1990 World Cup finals, helping Egypt lift the African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso eight years later and becoming the first Christian captain of the Pharaohs "I was honoured by being made national team captain. It meant a lot to me," he said. As he plans a new future as a football coach when he retires, Ramzi has already launched a football academy for youngsters back in his home country. Ramzi, who will celebrate his 36th birthday this month, made 124 appearances for his country and played 228 matches in the German league, scoring 15 goals.
