Essam El Hadary facts for kids
El Hadary with Egypt at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 15 January 1973 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kafr El Battikh, Damietta, Egypt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1993 | Damietta | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1996 | Damietta | 58 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2008 | Al Ahly | 412 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Sion | 32 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Ismaily | 20 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Zamalek | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Al Merreikh | 92 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | → Al-Ittihad Alexandria (loan) | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Wadi Degla | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Ismaily | 38 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Wadi Degla | 57 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Al-Taawoun | 25 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Ismaily | 15 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Nogoom | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 771 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2018 | Egypt | 159 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Egypt (goalkeeper coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Egypt U23 (goalkeeper coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Syria (goalkeeper coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Essam Kamal Tawfiq El Hadary (Arabic: عصام كمال توفيق الحضري) is an Egyptian goalkeeping coach and a former professional footballer. He was born on January 15, 1973.
People often called him the "High Dam" because of his strong goalkeeping skills. El Hadary played most of his club career with Al Ahly. With them, he won many important titles. These included seven Egyptian Premier Leagues and four CAF Champions Leagues.
El Hadary is third on the list for most games played for the Egyptian national team. He played 159 international matches between 1996 and 2018. He helped Egypt win the Africa Cup of Nations four times. He was also named the best goalkeeper of the tournament three times.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, El Hadary made history. He was 45 years and 161 days old when he played. This made him the oldest player ever to play in a World Cup match! After he stopped playing, he became a goalkeeping coach.
Contents
Essam El Hadary: A Football Legend
Early Life and Club Journey
Essam El Hadary was born in Kafr El Battikh, Damietta, Egypt. His father worked as a craftsman making furniture. Essam secretly played football because his parents didn't know about it. After playing, he would wash his muddy clothes in a river. This way, his parents wouldn't find out.
A local team noticed his talent. At 17, he joined Damietta, a Second Division club. In his first training, he was offered goalkeeping gloves. He had never worn them before and chose not to. He would even run 7 kilometers to training every day!
Playing for Al Ahly
El Hadary made his first team debut for Damietta in 1993, when he was 20. After two seasons, he signed with Al Ahly, a top Egyptian club. He spent 12 years with Al Ahly in Cairo. During this time, he won many trophies.
He won eight Egyptian Premier League titles and four Egypt Cups. He also won four CAF Champions League titles. These wins made him a very successful player.
Moving to Other Clubs
In 2008, El Hadary moved to the Swiss club FC Sion. His old club, Al Ahly, was not happy because he was still under contract. FIFA, the world football body, allowed Sion to sign him.
Later, FIFA suspended El Hadary and fined Sion. Even so, he decided to return to Egypt. In 2009, he joined Ismaily. In 2010, he had a short time with Zamalek.
In 2011, El Hadary moved to the Sudanese club Al-Merreikh. He later returned to Egypt. He played for Wadi Degla in 2013 and Ismaily again in 2014. He went back to Wadi Degla in 2015. Throughout these years, he was still seen as one of Africa's best players. In 2013, he was ranked among the "50 Greatest African Players of All Time."
In 2017, he joined Al-Taawoun in Saudi Arabia. He was the first foreign goalkeeper to play there. He joined Ismaily for the third time in 2018. In 2019, he signed with Nogoom. He officially retired from playing football on November 18, 2020. He wanted to start his coaching career.
International Career Highlights
El Hadary played for the Egyptian national team 159 times. His first game was in 1996, and his last was in 2018. He helped his country win the Africa Cup of Nations four times. He was named the best goalkeeper in the tournament in 2006, 2008, and 2010.
In 2013, he briefly retired from international football. But he returned in 2014, playing against Bosnia Herzegovina.
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On June 4, 2016, El Hadary played a full game against Tanzania. This win helped Egypt qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. On January 17, 2017, just after his 44th birthday, he became the oldest player to appear in an Africa Cup of Nations match. He was 44 years and 21 days old in the final match of that tournament.
On February 1, 2017, El Hadary saved two penalties. This helped Egypt beat Burkina Faso in a penalty shootout. They advanced to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Final.
World Cup History Maker
In June 2018, at 45 years old, El Hadary was chosen for Egypt's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He was the oldest player picked for the tournament. He broke the record held by Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón.
On June 25, El Hadary started Egypt's last group match against Saudi Arabia. This made him the oldest player ever to play in and debut at a World Cup. He was 45 years and 161 days old. He broke Mondragón's record again. El Hadary saved a penalty kick in that game. His team lost the game 2–1.
On August 7, 2018, El Hadary announced his retirement from international football. He was 45 years old. In November 2019, the FIFA World Football Museum displayed his gloves. They were shown because he was the World Cup's oldest player. He was also the first African goalkeeper to save a penalty in the tournament.
After Playing: Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Essam El Hadary became a coach. In September 2021, he became the goalkeeping coach for the Egypt national team. He held this role until March 2022.
In August 2022, he joined the coaching staff for the Egypt U23 team. In February 2023, he became part of the coaching team for the Syria national team.
Amazing Achievements and Awards
Essam El Hadary won many awards and titles during his career.
Al Ahly
- Egyptian Premier League: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Egypt Cup: 2000–01, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Egyptian Super Cup: 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007
- CAF Champions League: 2001, 2005, 2006
- CAF Super Cup: 2002, 2006, 2007
Sion
- Swiss Cup: 2008–09
Al Merreikh
- Sudan Premier League: 2011, 2013
- Sudan Cup: 2012, 2013
Egypt
- Africa Cup of Nations: 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010
- Pan Arab Games: 2007
Egypt Military
- World Military Cup: 2001
Egypt U23
- All-Africa Games: 1995
- Individual Awards
- CAF Champions League Best Goalkeeper: 2001, 2005, 2006
- Africa Cup of Nations Best Goalkeeper: 2006, 2008, 2010
Images for kids
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El Hadary as the goalkeeper coach for the Egyptian national team during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
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See also
In Spanish: Essam El-Hadary para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
