Arsenal striker Thierry Henry said he admires the abilities of Ahli playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika, while revealing that he is impressed by the Egyptian youth footballers. "Abou-Treika is one of the best players in Africa, I love watching him," Henry told a press conference that was held in Four Seasons hotel on Saturday. "I hope the Egyptian youngsters can gain benefits from such a good player, whose presence in the local league will be key in helping them develop." Henry arrived in Cairo on Friday to take part in the testimonial of former Ahli player Walid Salah Al-Din as well as attending an event carried out by Pepsi to explore new young talents.
The French star hailed Pepsi's program and said it will help Egypt discover new players who will be capable of playing in Europe just like England-based Egyptian trio Hossam Ghaly, Ahmed Hossam 'Mido and Ahmed Fathi. "I wanted to say that you always have to give the chance to somebody to start." "You have to learn, if I had the experience I have now when I was 20 it would have been a great mix." Meanwhile, Henry denied that he has converted to Islam, saying that having many Muslim friends was maybe the factor behind spreading the rumor. However, he expressed his deep respect for Islam and offered advice for everyone to try to find out the true principles of the religion.
