12 - 18 July 2001
Issue No.542
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 12 - 18 July 2001 Issue No.542 |
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Redemption
Abdel-Hamid Bassiouni is once again doing what he does best, scoring goals. At the recently concluded World Military Football Championship his five goals, highest in the tournament, steered Egypt to the victory podium and gave the striker renewed confidence in himself.
President Mubarak congratulates Bassiouni for a job well done
photo: Mustafa Attia
After coming out of nowhere to lead the Egyptian league with 15 tallies three seasons ago, a series of injuries, plus differences with German coach Otto Pfister, left Bassiouni warming up the Zamalek bench as a substitute, playing in only eight matches last year. Unwilling to accept the role of second fiddle, Bassiouni moved to Ismaili just before the start of the championship two weeks ago.
"I played under many coaches," said Bassiouni. "All believed in me and my skills except Pfister."
But after his performance in the military championship, Pfister will probably have second thoughts about how he let the gangling forward go. The player, an obviously naturally gifted striker, shoots with deadly accuracy with either foot, and has an outstanding header, scoring twice that way against Greece in the final. "Those two headers were the best of my goals. They gave me my life's greatest honour and returned the confidence and belief in my talents that I was about to lose."
Bassiouni's beginning was in Kafr El-Sheikh, in the Nile Delta, where he joined the town's first team at 16. He continued playing in limbo for nine years, was the team's top scorer in six of those years, yet remained virtually anonymous until he was spotted by then Zamalek coach Mahmoud Saad.
Joining Zamalek in 1997 at the relatively advanced age of 25, he surprised almost everyone by winning the goal-scoring race. His feat helped him get selected to the national team and was capped 15 times. He was also the top goal scorer in the African Military Cup in Guinea with four, and in the 1999 Military Cup in Croatia he notched four, one less than the event's top marksman.
Then came his battle with injuries. Irregular playing time had him lose his timing and sharpness in front of goal.
But his rehabilitation is now complete. Egypt's national team coach Mahmoud El-Gohari has called him up for a possible spot against Namibia in Friday's World Cup qualifier. "I cannot express my joy at wearing the national team's jersey again," said Bassiouni, 29, who last played with the national team in the 1999 Confederations Cup in Mexico.
He doesn't believe his comeback can be put down to luck. "You can win one match by luck but to keep on winning and scoring goals is the result of constant hard work, team work, and good luck," said Bassiouni. "Being the regular and expected goal scorer of any event is an honour."
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