Football with a flair

Hossam Hassan, the bad boy of Egyptian soccer, is much like international tennis legend John McEnroe -- famed for their temper tantrums, they are known for far more, as masters of their respective sports.

On Tuesday 9 January 2001, after a 3-1 friendly victory over Zambia at Cairo Stadium, Hossam was hoisted aloft by his ecstatic teammates. The celebration was not one over the victory, but rather, at the historic milestone reached upon its ending: the final whistle blow marked not only Egypt's victory, but also, Hossam's accomplishment as the first Egyptian, African, and Arab player to achieve a record-setting 151 international matches. Germany's Lothar Matthaeus, who played his last final at the 2000 European Games in Portugal, had held the world record of 150 caps until then.

Born on 10 August 1966 in Helwan, Hossam started playing football 21 years ago -- and like every other youngster, did so on Egypt's narrow side streets.

Hossam and his twin brother, defender Ibrahim, joined their local Helwan Club and were soon picked by Ahli scouts to join the club's juniors' team. As a teenage starter in a friendly match against Norway in Oslo on 10 September 1985, Hossam made his debut as a promising player to watch out for. But it took him two years to earn a spot on Ahli's first team. The break came in 1986, in a match against Senegal in the African Nations Cup. Since then, he has scored 109 goals for Ahli, and two for Zamalek; a package which tells of winning the National League Championship title 12 times, the African Champions Cup in 1987, and the African Winner's Cup in '85, '86 and '93.

"I never thought about records or statistics because I knew that was someone else's job," he says. "Mine was to give my best for my club and score goals for its victory and my record -- even though I never believed that I could break the world record. To tell you the truth, the media drew my attention to it, so I tried to overcome my injury and played as much as I could in order to break the record."

The balding striker was on the Egyptian team at their last FIFA World Cup appearance in Italy in 1990. Egypt put on an impressive show, drawing with the Netherlands 1-1 before narrowly failing to get past the first round.

Coach Mahmoud El-Gohari -- in charge of the team at the time, and still something of a legend himself today, enthuses: "He is the best player I have ever seen on the pitch. He is my best striker, scorer and sometimes a playmaker too. He is an all-round player: he can play everywhere and can change the results to his team's favour any time -- at crucial times. He is full of enthusiasm and encourages his teammates when conveying my instructions."

Hossam has earned himself the prestigious title of African player of the century. Unquestionably, he has long been a dominant African force on the football field, but it would be foolish to attempt to disregard or deny his media-flogged persona as a man with a temper.

"Anything related to football makes me nervous and when I'm on the pitch I don't know what I'm doing or saying a times," he says. "I only think about football -- playing and scoring, and that's it. But I never meant what I did to players or referees. It's just at the time, because something happens and it makes me furious."

This reputation of 'master' has had critics and fans asking why he hasn't sought fortunes abroad and reaped in the profits found by colleagues Hani Ramzi, Yasser Radwan, Abdel-Sattar Sabri, Mohamed Emara and Hazem Imam, in Europe's clubs. The reality, in fact, is that Hossam's volatility has been the cause of considerable controversy in the European clubs he has joined. Both Hossam and his brother, Ibrahim, have earned themselves something of a reputation: not respecting deals and breaking contracts with no advance notice.

"It was always for emotional reasons that I could never go through with it in Europe," Hossam says, offering as well his explanation as to why his brother always tags along. "I've always been attached to my brother, so I ask the club who is interested in me to take on Ibrahim as well. But it's the club and the family here in Egypt that we miss. That has affected our performance and attitudes, and so we were never able to continue." A fact, he adds, that he regrets.

"It could have given me more experience, and international fame. I would have loved to play in Europe, especially in the Italian League, because it is very powerful," he confesses.

For someone who appears to be impulsive and extreme -- the sign, it is said, of true genius -- nothing should come as a shock. But when Hossam opted to abandon his long-time club Ahli for archrivals Zamalek two summers ago, he had the nation in shock.

"This is professionalism," says Hossam today, in response to media headlines at the time. "It had nothing to do with ungratefulness or disloyalty. I didn't leave Ahli by myself: I was forced to go. I had problems with the head coach, Reiner Tsobeil, and the management didn't do anything about it or try to reach a compromise. Instead, they renewed the man's contract and they showed no interest in renewing my brother's or my own. I felt we were not needed anymore. We had to earn our living and keep playing. Since Zamalek's offer was the best, we accepted it," he says with an eloquent shrug.

The move, he admits, was tough -- the rivalry between Ahli and Zamalek being something seemingly inherent in Egyptian blood.

"I just had to force myself to get used to it," he says. "Business is business."

Hossam has proved his professional worth by charging full-force ahead; no unexpected actions and no unsightly behaviour. The bad boy of Egyptian football, critics say, may be calming down. Perhaps it is his family and the focus on them, or perhaps, of course, it is his drive to reach another goal.

"There are still many goals to be reached," he laughs. "And many things still to be accomplished."

Perhaps the record will come in the coming six years, and perhaps he will accomplish those numerous missions within his footballing career. Whatever the goal he ultimately sets for himself, Hossam hopes it will come in 2010 -- with the record-setting goal being scored on his own national soil.