Football fans have given their say on which star they were most looking forward to seeing at the FIFA Club World Cup 2008; as Ahli living legend Mohamed Abou-Treika stole the show. However, the modest talisman is not concerned by polls comparing him to the likes of World Player of the Year candidate Cristiano Ronaldo. In an interview with FIFA.com, Treika also spoke of his admiration to Spanish and English football, the 2010 World Cup and the heartbreaking defeat to Pachuca. FIFA.com: In our latest FIFA.com poll, we asked our users which star they were most looking forward to seeing at the FIFA Club World Cup 2008. You comfortably received the most votes, easily consigning no less a player than Cristiano Ronaldo to second place. What do you make of that? Mohamed Abou-Treika: I really don't want to compare myself to Ronaldo or be compared to him, he's an exceptional, world-renowned player. I'm proud of the chance to take part at this tournament and measure myself against the world's best players. Naturally, I want to say a heartfelt thank-you to all the fans and I just hope I can repay their faith in me. I promise I'll keep doing my best in the future, and keep trying to win trophies. How disappointed are you with your quarter-final exit to Pachuca? As a player, you basically have to deal with all kinds of results, but we're a top team, and losing this match after going 2-0 up was very painful indeed. Why did you lose the game?
We were 2-0 up at half-time, and then we scored a third after the interval, only to have it ruled out. Pachuca pulled one back almost immediately after that, so instead of it being 3-0 to us, it was suddenly only 2-1. Their goal was the turning point in the match. Pachuca finally hit their stride, and we suddenly lost the plot, our confidence evaporated. You can still lead your team to fifth place against Adelaide United, and you would personally become the all-time leading scorer at the FIFA Club World Cup if you score at least once. Does that make you even more motivated? I'm not even thinking about it. Being the top scorer or winning any kind of individual award doesn't bother me. All that matters to me is the team. We have to go out there and prove we're a quality team. We need to recover from the defeat to Pachuca as quickly as possible, so we're determined to win our next match and leave behind a good impression. You're a candidate for African Player of the Year 2008. What does the nomination mean to you? Making the shortlist for this award is a great honor. It means I'm being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o and Michael Essien. African footballers rate as some of the best in the world these days. In qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, Egypt have been grouped with Algeria, Rwanda and Zambia. How would you rate your chances of qualifying for the finals? We're favorites to win the group on paper, but that means nothing in football. The only thing that matters is giving everything in every game. All the other teams are strong, so we'll need to be at our very best to qualify. Two of your fellow-countrymen, Ahmed "Mido" Hossam and Amr Zaki, are enjoying great success in the English Premier League. Can you see yourself switching to a leading European league at some point? Clubs from overseas have approached Ahli. England or Spain appeal to me, but otherwise, I have no reason to leave.
