When I talk about a hobby that turned into a career and a career that turned into an obsession, you know that I'm talking about none other than Egypt skipper, Hossam Hassan. From his humble beginnings, along with his twin, Ibrahim Hassan, Hossam has never ceased to astonish people with his top-notch aggressive approach to football, his deadly strikes, his wit, and his unmatchable charisma on the pitch. However, watching him scamper behind the ball in Egypt's match against Ivory Coast, I couldn't help but say “run, grandpa, run” while the anxious crowd awaited Hossam to save the ball and cross it to Emad Meteb to score. Hossam, 39-years-old, never looked more tired, I hate to admit it. Being a stern fan myself, I hated seeing the only football icon I grew up following looking so tired and out-of-breath after such a short run for the ball. Although Egypt boss Hassan Shehata insisted that he didn't call Hossam to the African Cup squad to honor the Egyptian all-time top-scorer, I beg to differ.
If Hossam takes his presence in the Egyptian team for anything more than a mascot, then he must be deluded. If Hossam takes his presence for anything more than a team mascot, then he must be deluded. Aside from a great assist for Mohamed Abou-Treika's goal and a trade-mark scuffle with the Ivorian goalkeeper, Hossam's failure to head in a Meteb rebound only marked the beginning of his own swift disintegration as a football player. I personally never understood Hossam's stubbornness, he is a very talented striker, equipped with a great understanding of the game and a sturdy charisma that immediately earns the respect of both teammates and opponents, so why not switch his career to coaching if he loves the game so much. Take for example Barcelona head coach Frank Rijkaard, who is only five years older than Hossam, he took the wise decision and decided to focus on coaching, rather that see all his fitness and talent go to waste with age. The way I see it, Hossam can even be a better coach than former Zamalek coach Farouk Gaafar for instance. I think we all agree that being a good coach doesn't take more than combining brains with guts, and Hossam has both, so why doesn't he act smart and call it the quits, I don't have the answer for that. All I have is what you've seen.
