Legendary Egyptian goalkeeper, Essam El Hadary has announced his retirement from competitive football. The 47-year-old made the announcement on Tuesday (November 17).
El-Hadary won four Africa Cup of Nations titles with Egypt as well as multiple honours for Egyptian clubs, Al-Ahly and Zamalek.
He took to social media on Wednesday to announce the news.
“I spared no effort while representing my country while wearing the national team shirt which was a great privilege for me,” he wrote on Twitter. “I also want to thank everyone I worked with in my career for the roles they played in helping achieve so much.
“Their names will forever be engraved in Gold.”
El-Hadary then took the time to shed some light on his endeavours for the future.
“I announce very clearly that I have decided to quit football permanently. I am on the cusp of a new challenging experience. I took training courses in Europe.”
Nicknamed the “High Dam”, El-Hadary spent the largest portion of his club career with Al Ahly, with whom he won eight Egyptian Premier League titles, four Egypt Cups, four Egyptian Super Cups, four CAF Champions League titles, three CAF Super Cups, one Arab Club Champions Cup, and two Arab Super Cups.
Third on the list of all-time appearances for Egypt entering the 2018 World Cup, El Hadary has made over 150 international appearances for his nation since his debut in 1996. He has won the Africa Cup of Nations four times, and was named the tournament’s best goalkeeper on three occasions. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, at the age of 45 years and 161 days, he became the oldest player in history to play in a World Cup match.
