SEVEN-TIME CHAMPS: EGYPT NAMES FINAL SQUAD FOR MOROCCO 2025 AFCON
Hossam Hassan unveiled a balanced Egypt squad for AFCON 2025, mixing veterans like Salah and new talents. The Pharaohs face Zimbabwe and South Africa in tough Group B.
Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassan, has picked his final squad of 28 players for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025. He's counting on this group to bring Egypt back to the summit of African football.
The team, with seven past championship wins, will compete from December 21 to January 18, aiming for another championship title.
Hassan's choices mix experienced players with new talent, aiming to create a balanced team in every position.
While the squad has just a few players from foreign leagues, the biggest name is Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, who captains the team and leads the attack.
Hassan also chose Mohamed Marmoush from Manchester City and Mostafa Mohamed from FC Nantes, expecting them to bring energy and scoring ability.
Ibrahim Adel and Rahim Rabia, who play in the Emirati league, bring international experience to the team.
Egypt wants to win back the continental title, and Hassan feels his team mixes experience and youth, hoping for good results in the games ahead.
Strong goalkeeping and a balanced defence
The team has four goalkeepers, with Mohamed El Shenawy from Al Ahly as the main choice.
His Al Ahly teammate Mostafa Shobeir, along with Ahmed El Shenawy and Mohamed Sobhi, rounds out the goalkeeping, giving the team depth and competition.
In defence, Egypt went with a combination of familiar faces and young energy.
Mohamed Hany, Ramy Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, and Ahmed Fatouh have all played internationally, while younger players like Hossam Abdel-Maguid and Khaled Sobhi add speed and strength.
According to the coaches, the defence has a good mix of strength and international experience, which is important in a tough Group B.
Creative and experienced midfielders
The midfield is Egypt's engine room, with players who offer different skills. Marwan Attia, Hamdi Fathi, Mohannad Lasheen, Emam Ashour, and Mohamed Shehata will play alongside Ahmed Sayed Zizo and Mahmoud Trezeguet, who add playmaking ability.
Salah is also listed as a midfielder in Egypt's flexible attacking setup, along with Omar Marmoush, Ibrahim Adel, and Mostafa Fathi. Hassan thinks this gives the team options and creativity on the field.
Mostafa Mohamed leads the attack.
Mostafa Mohamed will lead Egypt's attack.
He'll be joined by Salah Mohsen and Osama Faisal, with the job of scoring goals in Morocco.
Egypt's AFCON Group B opponents
The African champions will begin their Group B games versus Zimbabwe on December 22.
Then, they will have a tough game against South Africa before finishing the group stage against Angola. With a mix of established stars and new faces, Egyptian fans will expect a strong performance as the team tries to regain its place at the top of African football.
The team will start an open training camp on December 3 before switching to a closed camp four days later.
A friendly versus Nigeria in Cairo on December 14 will be their final warm-up game before they head to Morocco on December 17 to get ready for the tournament.
Egypt’s 28-man squad for TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025
Goalkeepers:
Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly), Ahmed El Shenawy (Pyramids), Mostafa Shobeir (Al Ahly), Mohamed Sobhi (Zamalek)
Defenders:
Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly), Ahmed Eid (Al Masry), Ramy Rabia (Al Ain), Khaled Sobhi (Al Masry), Yasser Ibrahim (Al Ahly), Mohamed Ismail (Zamalek), Hossam Abdel-Maguid (Zamalek), Mohamed Hamdy (Pyramids), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek)
Midfielders:
Marwan Attia (Al Ahly), Hamdi Fathi (Al Wakrah, Qatar), Mohannad Lasheen (Pyramids), Mahmoud Saber (Zed)
Mohamed Shehata (Zamalek), Emam Ashour (Al Ahly), Ahmed Mostafa Zizo (Al Ahly)
Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet (Al Ahly), Ibrahim Adel (Al Jazira, UAE), Mostafa Fathi (Pyramids), Omar Marmoush (Manchester City), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Forwards: Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes), Salah Mohsen (Al Masry), Osama Faisal (Al Ahly Bank)
WHY DID CRISTIANO RONALDO CRY? LUKA MODRIC EXPOSES JOSE MOURINHO’S HARSHEST LECTURE
Luka Modric reveals Jose Mourinho once reduced Cristiano Ronaldo to tears at Real Madrid for failing to track back defensively.
Luka Modric says that Jose Mourinho once gave Cristiano Ronaldo such a harsh lecture that the guy was in tears.
Ronaldo, who's 40 now, played really well under Mourinho, who's 62. They were together at Real Madrid for three seasons, but apparently, they didn't always get along off the field.
Even though things got off to a slow start, the Portuguese superstar still managed to score 168 goals in 164 games while playing for Mourinho. He also helped Mourinho win three trophies in his first two seasons.
But get this: even with superstars like Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria on his team, Mourinho was still super critical of Ronaldo's effort on defense.
Modric, who Mourinho signed from Tottenham back in 2013, told a story about one argument that made Ronaldo cry. Apparently, it was because he didn't chase after his assigned player.
"I saw him make Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the locker room," Modric told Corriere della Sera, an Italian news outlet. Can you believe it? A guy who always gives it his all on the field, and he's getting yelled at because he didn't chase some defender.
Modric moved to Real Madrid in 2013 and only played under Mourinho for a year.
Modric, who played alongside Kaka and Mesut Ozil in the midfield after arriving for a big £33 million, didn't say which game the argument happened in.
Guillem Balague, a Spanish soccer journalist, wrote in Ronaldo's biography that Ronaldo and Mourinho almost fought after Mourinho yelled at him in the locker room following a 2-0 win against Valencia in January 2013.
Mourinho was mad because Ronaldo didn't seem willing to help out on defense during the game. And Ronaldo supposedly replied, After everything I've done for you, this is how you treat me? How dare you say that to me!
Later that season, which turned out to be Mourinho's last with the team, Ronaldo was constantly asked about Mourinho's future. "I don't care," he said once. What I care about is my own future and the club.
This was a big change from earlier that year, when Mourinho said before the 2012 Ballon d'Or race, If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe!
After Mourinho left Real Madrid, he went on Spanish TV to talk about what caused the problems between him and Ronaldo.
"I only had one problem with him," he said. It was simple. When a coach gives a player feedback on tactics, they are trying to help them get better, in my opinion. He didn't take it well because he probably thinks he knows everything, and the coach can't help him.
Mourinho also said that they didn't really have a relationship. But time seemed to fix things, as he later said that coaching Ronaldo was the best thing that ever happened in his career.
Ronaldo also seemed to warm up to Mourinho later on, even saying that he was the best coach he ever had, even better than Sir Alex Ferguson. "I'd put him at the top; I always say that," Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo scored 168 goals in 164 games while playing for Mourinho during their three years together.
Even though Modric didn't win any trophies in his first season at Madrid, he was so impressed by Mourinho that he repeated something Mourinho famously said about himself.
He's special, as a coach and as a person, Modric said. He was the one who wanted me at Real Madrid. I wouldn't have come without him. I'm sad I only had him for one season.
Modric spent 13 years at Real Madrid, mostly managed by Carlo Ancelotti. Now he's at AC Milan and managed by Massimiliano Allegri. But he says Mourinho is the toughest of the three.
He added, "Mourinho is really direct with the players, but he's honest." He treated Sergio Ramos and new players the same way. If he had something to say, he'd say it. Max is the same way. He tells you what's right and wrong to your face. Honesty is key.
Modric also shared his opinion on the never-ending debate of who's better, Lionel Messi or Ronaldo, but said he doesn't really like talking about it.
"I don't like that question," he said. They both defined an era. I'm closer to Cristiano because I played with him; he was my teammate at Madrid, and I can tell you he's not just a great player, he's an amazing person. People don't know it, but he has a big heart and is always ready to help others. He's just a simple, normal guy.
He added, "I don't know Messi personally, but I'm sure he's great too." As a player, he's incredible.
CELTIC FANS DEMAND BOARD SACK WILFRIED NANCY AFTER SHOCK MOTHERWELL DEFEAT TONIGHT
Wilfried Nancy dismisses sack talk after Celtic's 2-0 loss at Motherwell. With Rangers closing in, the Old Firm looms large.
After Celtic's fifth loss in seven games under his leadership, Wilfried Nancy brushed off ideas that Saturday's Old Firm game would decide his future.
Tuesday's match at Fir Park, called 'El Passico' due to both teams' open play styles, saw Motherwell outperform the Frenchman's team. Ibrahim Said and Elliot Watt scored on either side of halftime.
The 2-0 defeat, Celtic's 17th this year, meant Hearts stayed three points ahead in the league, while Rangers closed in, now just three points behind Nancy's squad after a 2-1 victory over St Mirren.
At the end of the game, visiting fans chanted for the board to be sacked, and some even demanded the manager's immediate dismissal. When asked if his first derby was a make-or-break moment, Nancy responded, No, not really. Every game matters to me and the team.
I'm not focused on my future. I'm focusing on what I'm doing now, what I need to do to help the team get better, and what we need to do as a team to improve. That's how I see it.
When asked if he understood the fans' deep worry about the lack of progress during his time, Nancy was indignant.
Progress? "There is progress," he insisted. But tonight, the situation and the opponent were tough.
This is a fact. Now, we need to figure out how to get better, and that's what we've been working on from the start. Tonight was rough. That's the truth.
When questioned about feeling the pressure after such a bad start as the champion's manager, Nancy added, As a manager, I don't want this, obviously.
Pressure doesn't change how I think. We know we have to perform well.
But right now, this is how it is. I knew it could be like this. We've had good games at times. Tonight was a hard one.
Regarding whether he was sure he could turn things around, Nancy said, Yes, I'm sure. I had to make some choices about the team tonight. I believe in what we're trying to do and where we're going. This was a hard game, difficult for us, but I think we'll improve.
Motherwell's manager, Jens Berthel Askou, praised his team, saying it was probably their best game of the season.
"We knew we'd probably need our best, most solid, and most complete performance, both with and without the ball, to win," he said.
We've had really big and good performances, but they haven't led to wins against Rangers or Celtic. So, that's what we got, and that's what we needed. It was amazing to see.