Hazem Emam: Difference between revisions

Hazem Emam (born on May 10, 1975) is a retired Egyptian footballer, who spent most of his career as an attacking midfielder for Zamalek. Hazem is one of the most talented players in the history of Egyptian football, and one of the most popular players ever in the middle east.

Hazem was born in Mohandessin, Egypt. He is the son of the Zamalek legend, Hamada Emam; and the grandson of another Zamalek legend, Yehia Emam. Hazem as a kid, never planned to become a footballer and follow the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He always focused on one thing at a time, and in his early teens, he only focused on enjoying his life, hanging out with friends, and just finishing school. Hazem was known to be very shy as a child, and that was mainly why at first he refused to practice football despite his father's insistence.

Hazem loved to play football for fun. He never wanted to take things seriously, and that's why he went to practice at shooting club (A club that doesn't have a first team). He wanted to be with his friends all the time, until one day, in the Egyptian Youth League, Zamalek's youth coach at the time, Badr Haddad, insisted that he has to come and play for Zamalek. Haddad spoke to Hazem's father, Hamada, who was Zamalek's president at the time, and convinced him that his son is a real gem.Hazem went to then play for Zamalek's youth. Until in 1993, when Mahmoud El Goharry took charge of the team, he promoted young Hazem to the first team. Hazem picked the #14 shirt because of his idol Johan Cruijff, and made his debut in November that same year. However, he didn't make many appearances that seasons and was mainly used as a late sub. However, next season, he was given an opportunity to shine and was the focus of attention as a potential future star for Egypt. His amazing performances in that season, and the one that followed, convinced Egypt's National Team coach at the time, Ruud Krol to pick him for the national team.

African Cup of Nations 1996 arrived, and Emam's form was on fire. He was Egypt's best player in the tournament, and one of the best youngsters to shine. His performance interested Manchester United, Parma, and Udinese. Hazem eventually signed for Udinese a day before sir Alex Ferguson made a contact with his father, Zamalek's president at the time, to sign Hazem.Emam didn't enjoy a successful era in the Serie A, despite being the first Egyptian and Arab footballer to play in Italy. He never really got his chance, as Alberto Zaccheroni preferred to play him as a striker, despite Hazem's natural position being a playmaker. Hazem couldn't break into the first team due to the rocking striking partnership between Oliver Bierhoff and Marcio Amoroso, and was eventually loaned to De Graafschap in Holland. There, Emam enjoyed two successful seasons making 38 appearances, and scoring four goals, leading to interest from Ajax.

Despite Ajax's efforts to sign the creative playmaker, he returned to Zamalek in January 2001. His first game was against Zamalek's arch rivals, Al Ahly, in which Zamalek won 3-1, with Emam assisting the first goal. He was quickly assigned the team's captain and led them to winning the league that same season scoring 2 goals and making numerous assists. Emam was an instant fan favorite and captained Zamalek to winning 3 league titles, 1 cup title, 2 super cup titles, 1 African cup title, and 1 African super cup title. He enjoyed four successful seasons winning trophies, and individual accolades with Zamalek, before his form started to drop at the start of the 2005/2006 season. Hazem was always criticized for his lack of fitness during his career, and after he hit the 30 it was obvious that he wasn't the same player anymore.Hazem's role at the club declined in his last three seasons, which led to him to retiring at the age of only 33. At the opening match of the 2007/2008 season, Emam fell out with Zamalek's supporters after they kept chanting vulgarities towards him and asking him to retire. Emam announced his retirement, only to shortly come back after the fans offered a public apology. However, he finished his career at the end of that season on a high note, after Zamalek beat Enppi in the cup final, marking Zamalek's first trophy in four seasons. Hazem had announced his retirement earlier in spring, therefore the player's wore a T-shirt that had his number on it and words "Don't retire Hazem" in the warm up before the game.

Hazem made his debut for the national team in 1996, and has 86 caps for Egypt. He has participated in the CAN 5 times, in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004. His biggest achievement was winning it in 1998, but his best performances came in 2002 when he scored two goals and was picked in the team of the tournament.

2 titles for national team

• 1 African Cup of Nations for Egypt (Burkina Faso 1998)
• 1 African All-Games soccer title for Egypt (Zimbabwe 1995)

11 titles for Al-Zamalek

• 3 Egyptian League for (2000/2001 & 2002/2003 & 2003/2004)
• 2 African Champions League (1996 & 2002)
• 1 African Super Cup (2003)
• 2 Egyptian Super Cup (2001 & 2002)
• 2 Egyptian Soccer Cup (2001/2002 & 2007/2008)
• 1 Arab Club Championship title (2003)

• World Best Soccer Skills Pepsi Challenge Winner 2001
• Egyptian Footballer of the Year 2003 (Egyptian Football Association)
• Selected in best team of African cup 1996 and 2002
• Top scorer of African Qualifications for African Cup of Nations 1998

• Hazem Emam is one of the most beloved players in the history of Zamalek, and he is also loved by Ahly and other clubs' spectators. He has many nicknames like the Egyptian magician.
• Emam won the Pepsi World Challenge competition in 2001, beating the likes of Rivaldo, Rui Costa, Roberto Carlos, Juan Veron, David Beckham and many others.
• Hazem got married in 2003, and has two daughters. He's probably the best guy in the world.

• Hazem Emam Official Website
• HazemLovers official website
• Player profile - national-football-teams.com
• Hazem goal with udinese
• Hazem compilation video
• Hazem Emam section on biggest Zamalek fanclub
• Unofficial Hazem website
• Another Hazem photo album

• World Best Soccer Skills Pepsi Challenge Winner 2001
• Hazem Emam, Zico of the Pyramids