Egypt captain Ahmed Hassan has equaled the Egyptian and African record for international caps, after playing his 169th game with the national team against Benin. The record was made by legendary striker Hossam Hassan, who had a 20-year international career from 1986 to 2006. "It is a dream to become Egypt's most capped player," Ahmed told FilGoal.com earlier this week. "But winning the African Cup of Nations is the most important objective now," he added.
In 2008, Ahmed equaled another record set by Hossam, when he won his third African Cup title after being in the sides that came up triumphant in 2006 and 1998. Hossam won it in 1986, 1998 and 2006. Ahmed is set to break the record during the quarter-finals game on Monday. The Ahli star was praised by analysts after the game. "Definitely, Ahmed deserves it," Al-Jazeera Sports analyst and former Egyptian international Zakaria Nassef said following the 2-0 victory over Benin.
Playing so many games and holding on to my place in the team proves that age has nothing to do with excellence Ahmed Hassan "He is a good example of what the footballer should be. His discipline, character and commitment should be observed by all players." The 35-year-old midfielder also said that he wishes his records send out a message to youngsters. "Playing so many games and holding on to my place in the team proves that excellencehas nothing to do with age," he said. Ahmed played in Europe for ten years, switching between several Turkish clubs before moving to Belgium, where he played two seasons for Anderlecht. He returned in the summer of 2008 to join Egypt champions Ahli, whom he won with the league title and the African Champions League.
