Amr Zaki interview: The Egyptian wild child ready to finally settle down

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  • Courting controversy: Amr Zaki is ready to settle down and focus solely on his career.

    At 31 years old, Amr Zaki has much to reflect upon in his tumultuous football career. The Egypt international, who is currently in Abu Dhabi undergoing rehab following ankle surgery he had in Germany last February, finds himself a free agent for the fourth time in two years. 

    His most recent club, Raja Casablanca, released him three months ago without him playing a single official match for them.

    It is a bizarre position for someone who was once – briefly – the top-scorer of the English Premier League and one who is nicknamed ‘The Bulldozer’ for his incredible physique and ruthless striking ability. 

    But inconsistency, controversy and injuries have led the former Wigan hitman to nine different clubs in six different countries over 13 years.

    Disciplinary issues and failure to return on time from international duty on more than one occasion drove his former coach at Wigan, Steve Bruce, to state: “In all my time in football I have never worked with someone as unprofessional.”

    That was in spring 2009, only a few months after Zaki had scored nine goals in his first 13 Premier League games and was attracting huge interest from major clubs in Europe.

    Instead, the Egyptian’s career never really took off the way everyone, including himself, thought it would and looking back he blames it all on some poor decision-making – not necessarily all his own choices. 

    “The only mistake that happened with me is that when I went to England, I went on loan for one year (from Zamalek),” Zaki told Sport360°.

    “At the time, more than eight clubs were requesting me including Liverpool, Wigan – which I joined – Aston Villa, Malaga and Real Madrid. Huge clubs offering amounts that reached up to EGP170 million (Dh88m), which would have been a big leap forward for Egypt’s football and the economy. It would have opened up great opportunities – way more than now.

    “When a player moves abroad knowing he has a two or three-year contract, he has a sense of stability and doesn’t listen to all the talk coming out of other clubs. In my case, it wasn’t just my fault because I wasn’t the decision-maker as I was the property of Zamalek.

    “I was top-scorer of the Premier League in the first half of the season, ahead of big names like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

    “When you play in the best league in the world – the Premier League – and then you go back to playing teams, with all due respect to those clubs, from Upper Egypt or Mahalla; psychologically you collapse.

    “One day you’re playing for Wigan and thinking about going to Real Madrid or Liverpool and within a couple of months you’re returning to Egypt. It’s a huge disappointment.

    “I’m not belittling the Egyptian league because Egypt and Zamalek made me who I am, but when you see the other side it’s difficult to go back to where you were.”

    Zaki says his top priority now is to get fit and find a club so he can put himself back into contention for a national team call-up.

    After the departure of American coach Bob Bradley following Egypt’s failure to secure a ticket to the World Cup in Brazil, the Pharaohs are now led by Egyptian Shawky Gharib and Zaki believes he has a good chance of resuming his duties in time for the upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

    “Players really measure their self-worth by playing for their country and it’s the best thing for me to play for Egypt,” says Zaki, who has won two African Cups with Egypt in 2006 and 2008.

    “Captain Shawky is very dear to me on a personal level. I’ve worked with him since I was part of our Olympic team so I've known him for more than 10 years. He has huge experience, he has a great relationship with all the players.

    “He knows the circumstances I’m in at the moment. I believe as soon as I’m fit and I’m playing for a good club he will select me.”

    Zaki's ultimate goal would be to return to Zamalek and finish his career at the Cairene club but he’s also not ruling out a return to the Gulf, particularly the UAE.

    Zaki has no concrete offers on the table but is in talks with more than one Arabian Gulf League side.

    Egyptians have not enjoyed the most success in the UAE recently with both Mohamed Zidan and Shikabala enduring controversial stints at Bani Yas and Al Wasl.

    But Zaki says that doesn’t mean Egyptian footballers cannot be successful here in the Emirates.

    “It depends on the mentality of the people dealing with the player,” says Zaki. “Here the resources are plenty so they’re not too patient with players, and they don’t need to forgive anyone. So it depends on the management of each club.”

    For now, Zaki is hoping he can prove people wrong and improve the reputation of Egyptian players in the UAE.

    “I’d love to play here in the UAE, not just because I like the country but because it’s a great country that is constantly seeking progress. They are very organised, I love it here in every way, I feel like I’m in England to a great extent," adds Zaki. 

    “If I had a choice, I’d like to go to Zamalek and end my career there, that’s the best case scenario. If I do come to the UAE, I won’t be satisfied with a one-year contract. I want to stay for two years, bring my family, put my kids in good international schools and maintain the lifestyle they’ve been enjoying in Egypt.

    “I need stability. I won’t relocate my family for just six months or a year and a good paycheck. It’s not about money for me because my ambition is to be called up for the national team, and to be able to do that I must be playing regularly in a club because that’s the system employed by coach Shawky Gharib.”

    Zaki on…
    Who caught his eye in the UAE: I believe Omar Abdulrahman is the best of them and he can do really well abroad.

    His idols: In Egypt, I’d have to say Hossam Hassan. He’s the best striker in Egyptian history.

    European teams he supports: I’m a fan of Manchester City and I love Barcelona.

    His most memorable goals: There are three goals that are forever engraved in my memory. The first is with the national team in the 2006 African Cup of Nations semi-finals against Senegal. I scored in the last 10 minutes and we reached the final.

    The second is with Zamalek against ENPPI in the Egyptian Cup final in 2008. I scored the winning goal and we won the cup.

    The third was for Wigan against Liverpool in Anfield.

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