Ancient Egyptians considered their pharaoh to be a half-man, half-god, one who was able to command tremendous resources, and here we are in the 21st century witnessing the emergence of a new King of Egypt, one whose name is Mohamed Abou-Treika. Abou-Treika's status as a pharaoh was cemented when he delivered the killer goal that earned Ahli their African title at the expense of Tunisian side CS Sfaxien. And even though Abou-Treika remained in the shadows for the majority of the game, leaving man-of-the-match Flavio, Hossam Ashour, Emad Meteb and others take the spotlight, salvation opted to come from his feet only. But that was not the first time that Abou-Treika has stepped up for his fans and admirers over the past year and earned himself the title of ‘savior'. He is the man who delivered the decisive penalty-kick for Egypt against Ivory Coast in the 2006 African Cup of Nations that Egypt won and the one who handed Ahli this year's Egyptian Super Cup at the expense of ENPPI with another trademark last-gasp winner. Abou-Treika carried the burden of leading Ahli to a second successive African title in the absence of the injured Mohamed Barakat and out-o-form Emad Meteb, his usual partners in crime. Day in and day out the former Tersana player who just turned 28 years old gave his all to club and country. His dedication, along with his wizardry made him Egypt's sweetheart Not since the days of Ahli's Mahmoud Al-Khatib have Egyptian football fans agreed on the talent and gamesmanship of a local player, with all due respect to Zamalek captain Hazem Emam, who unfortunately did not live up to his potential due to injury and instability in his club.
Not since the days of Ahli's Mahmoud Al-Khatib have Egyptian football fans agreed on the talent and gamesmanship of a local player. Even his smile has worked wonders as he inspired a young generation of football lovers who idolize him. What is really impressive is that this young man who was born and raised in a small rural town in Giza, very close to his ancestors, never dreamt to reach this status, and after only two years of playing in Ahli. His selflessness and modesty truly only added to his appeal to the Egyptian public, features that made him even more powerful than the real ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Now, only Abou-Treika's opponents fear him, and if you don't believe, ask Sfaxien coach Murad Mahjoub. Congratulations to Abou-Treika and his teammates on a successful and hard-fought campaign that resulted in Ahli's fifth and most precious African Champions League title. The victory is historic since it put Ahli at level with arch-rivals Zamalek who held the record undisputed. It also made Ahli the first team to advance to the FIFA Club World Cup for two successive times. What Abou-Treika and his Ahli teammates created is a dynasty...one that will always be remembered by Ahli fans.
