Iconic Egyptian Footballer Emad Meteb Announces his Retirement From Football

Thirty-five year old Egyptian international Emad Meteb has recently announced his retirement from football, closing the curtain on a long and successful career, both for Al Ahly and the Egyptian national team.

Meteb joined Saudi Arabian side Al Taawoun on a six-month deal in January 2018 for lack of game time at his boyhood club, Al Ahly. He said he'd received a number of offers from Egyptian clubs, but his loyalty for Ahly was so much that he couldn’t put pen to paper with one of their rivals. “It was tough but I made the right decision by retiring,” Meteb told OnSport satellite channel.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t all end in smiles; Meteb blames former Al Ahly coach Hossam El-Badry for his retirement, saying he kept him sidelined for two years. “He didn’t let me play or leave to another club”, Meteb said.

Meteb was part of Al Ahly’s golden generation of 2003-2014, and Egyptians will surely look back at his successful career with fond memories. He won 11 Egyptian Premier League titles, three Egypt Cups and six Egypt Super Cups. In addition, he helped Al Ahly take home the CAF Champions League five times, the CAF Confederation Cup once, the CAF Super Cup four times and helped Al Ahly earn a historic bronze medal at the 2006 Club World Cup.

Last but not least, he was part of the Egyptian squad that won the African Nations Cup three times in a row. He is also the youngest player to ever be top scorer of the Egyptian Premier League, scoring 15 goals in the 2004-2005 season and helping Al Ahly win the title without losing a single game. What a career.

Main image from Bin Zubeiry