Hadi Khashaba finally brings down the curtain on his glamorous career in a farewell game that features the two sides he represented as a professional footballer, Ahli and the Egyptian national team. It was obvious in the past two years that Khashaba is already past his prime as he failed to restore full form after sustaining a serious knee injury in 2004. But the 34-year-old Khashaba remained as inspiring to teammates and fans as he always was over his 16-year career even if he wasn't as instrumental as he used to be on the pitch. A regular starter for Ahli and Egypt in the 90s and the beginning of the new millennium, Khashaba has no hard feelings over sitting on the bench for the majority of the last couple of seasons. "I have had enough football," Khashaba told FilGoal.com in an exclusive interview after announcing his retirement. "I played a record of 446 games for Ahli and it makes no sense to make a fuss for playing a few extra games. "It has been really wonderful to play at the highest level for all those years but now I am looking forward to my post-retirement career in Ahli." Glittering Career Khashaba joined Ahli in 1989 as a teenager from Asyut after shining with the Under-17 Egyptian national team. Despite being promoted to the first team in the same year, Khashaba made his Egyptian Premier League debut in 1991 during a 2-0 victory over Olympic Alexandria.
A potential Ahli president? He established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in Egypt and helped Ahli with his pace and skills to dominate the local league for seven successive years between 1993 and 2000. Aggressive yet classy, the number 20 was also non-excisable in the national team in the 90s when he earned over 90 caps for Egypt. However, he didn't participate in Egypt's most memorable tournament in this era, missing the 1998 African Cup of Nations, which the Pharaohs clinched, to stay at home beside his seriously-ill child. Khashaba took over as Ahli skipper in 2000 following the transfer of the Hassan twins to arch-rivals Zamalek. Just one year later, Khashaba, despite suffering a dip in form, captained Ahli to their first African Champions League title in 14 years. In 2004, Khashaba ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and was ruled out for the rest of the season. He tried to fight back and restore his place in Ahli but younger and more skillful replacements held on to their starting status, leaving Khashaba with no option but retirement. Now, poised for an administrative role at the most successful Egyptian club, Khashaba recalls a conversation with Ahli's icon Saleh Selim who predicted a bright future for the then young player. "Saleh Selim was a role model," said Khashaba. "Once, he told me I would be the president of Ahli and this still makes me proud till this day."
