Bye to the chestnut

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AHLI and Zamalek played to a 5-5 draw on Friday but the score didn't really matter. The match was played to honour Khaled El-Ghandour, the former Zamalek player and national team captain whose 15-year career has come to an end.

Big names participated in the retirement gala: Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan, Samir Kammouna, Walid Salaheddin, Nader El- Sayed, Ahmed Fathi, Mohamed Mohsen Abou Greisha and Hosni Abd-Rabou.

The stocky player, dubbed Bondoq, or chestnut, started playing in Heliopolis Sporting Club before moving to powerhouse Zamalek as a professional.

The talented midfielder played most of his life in Zamalek before being transferred to Kuwait's Qazema club on a one- year loan where he led the side to the league trophy.

With the Egyptian national team El- Ghandour claimed the Arab Cup in 1992 in Syria. He also played in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

With Zamalek, El-Ghandour helped win 19 championships -- five league champions, four African crowns, three African Super Cups, two FA Cups, the Egyptian Super Cup twice and one title each in the Afro Asian Cup, the Arab Clubs Cup and the Saudi-Egypt Super Cup.

El-Ghandour has now switched to acting and can be seen in two films coming out this summer.