Egyptian goalkeeper and football legend Essam El-Hadary has made World Cup history with his appearance in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The 45-year-old goalkeeper became the oldest player to participate in the FIFA World Cup on the Monday 25 June 2018 Group A match between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The match against Saudi Arabia marked El-Hadary’s 159th international game for Egypt.
El-Hadary, who is regarded as one of Africa’s best goalkeepers of all time, started his career in 1996 and is a four-time African Cup of Nations champion.
In January 2017, El-Hadary became the oldest player to participate in the African Cup of Nations after he was substituted when Ahmed El-Shenawy was injured. At the time, El-Hadary told the BBC he does not think about his age.
“I don’t care about my age, I train like I am 20 years old,” said El-Hadary.
El-Hadary’s appearance at the World Cup is a silver-lining for Egypt’s performance. Egypt had been hoping to qualify for the knockout round, but failed to do so after being defeated by Uruguay and hosts Russia.
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[…] Egypt had qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia after a thrilling match against Congo at Borg El Arab Stadium on October 8. However, breaking the hearts of thousands of fans, Egypt exited the World Cup without a single match victory although, Essam El Hadary, made history as the oldest player to participate in the FIFA World Cup. […]
[…] Egypt lost 2-1 against Saudi Arabia on Monday, 25th of June. Although the teams are readily disqualified from the World Cup, as Uruguay and Russia secured the first and second place in their groups, many fans kept a close eye on the match. For one thing, Mohamed Salah was set to play in the starting XI amid rumours of his retirement from the national team, as well as veteran, Essam El Hadary, who made history as the oldest player to participate in the FIFA World Cup. […]