Egyptian football legend, Essam El Hadary has said he would not rescind his decision to hung up his gloves after news of him coming out of retirement engulfed the internet.
The 47-year-old goalkeeper closed the curtain on his illustrious career after a brief stint with Egyptian Premier League side, Nogoom FC.
El Hadary in the wake of the news making the rounds, maintained that he has officially retired from playing football and is now focused on coaching
“I won’t join any club and all these rumours are completely false. I took many courses in Europe and trial periods with some world-class teams. And now, thanks to your support, I’m ready to start my coaching career,” the former Al Ahly, Sion and Zamalek goalkeeper tweeted.
“I want to thank my fellow teammates, whom I shared the pitch with throughout the generations. I also would like to thank every coach I’ve worked with as well as the administration and medical staff.
“And to all the workers, whom I consider brothers, who helped me throughout my career. And a special thanks to my country, Egypt. I hope to one day to close the curtain on my footballing career and look back with no regrets.”
El Hadary began his professional career in 1993 with Damietta, but spent more than half of his career at Al Ahly between 1996 and 2008, during which time he won 21 titles.
On the international scene, he was handed his debut in 1996 and went on to feature in 159 games, winning four Africa Cup of Nations titles, but was denied a fifth in 2017 following Cameroon’s triumph in Gabon.
The old horse made his FIFA World Cup debut at the age of 45 in Volgograd, where he made headlines.
