Published on 6/26/2026
|
Last update: 6/27/2026 08:47 (Mecca time)
Egyptian football player and coach. He is famous for playing in the center of the attack, and his name is associated with prominent achievements with his country’s national team and with Al-Ahly and Zamalek clubs. He is considered the historical top scorer for the Pharaohs after scoring 69 goals in 176 official international matches, in addition to being one of the players who participated most in the Egyptian national team’s shirt.
On February 6, 2024, Hossam Hassan was appointed technical director of the Egyptian national team, thus crowning his coaching career, and taking over the leadership of the “Pharaohs” in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, and with him he was able to qualify from the group stage to the round of 32 of the World Cup for the first time in its history, after finishing runner-up in Group Seven, which also included: Belgium, Iran, and New Zealand.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
Beginning and professionalism
Hossam Hassan’s football career began in the youth sector of Al-Ahly Club in 1979, before he was promoted to the first team in the 1984-1985 season, quickly becoming one of the most prominent strikers in Egypt. Following his participation with the Egyptian national team in the 1990 World Cup finals, he turned to European professionalism, wearing the Greek PAOK shirt between 1990 and 1991, then moving to Swiss Neuchâtel between 1991 and 1992, in his first professional stop outside Egypt.
Hassan returned to Al-Ahly Club in 1992, beginning one of the most successful periods of his football career. He spent eight consecutive seasons with the team, and was one of its most prominent attacking elements. He contributed to winning the Egyptian League title seven times in a row, in addition to contributing to winning many local and continental championships.
Moving to Zamalek
In 2000, Hassan spent a short loan period with the Emirati club Al Ain, and succeeded in winning the league title. After the loan ended, in the same year he moved to Zamalek Club, accompanied by his brother Ibrahim Hassan, in a deal described at the time as one of the most prominent and famous transfers in the history of Egyptian football.
Hassan continued his brilliance in the Zamalek jersey, leading the team to win three Egyptian League titles between 2001 and 2004. He also contributed to winning the Egypt Cup, and was one of the most prominent elements of the team that won the African Champions League title in 2002.
With the Egyptian national team
Hossam Hassan is the historic top scorer for the Egyptian national team, having scored 69 goals in 176 official international matches, and his name has been associated with the most prominent achievements of the “Pharaohs” for more than two decades.
Hassan played a prominent role in the Egyptian national team’s qualification to the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy, after scoring the historic qualifying goal against Algeria. He participated in the finals and gave a remarkable performance, especially against the Netherlands, which ended in a draw.
He also contributed to the Egyptian national team winning the African Cup of Nations title three times in 1986, 1998 and 2006. He was also crowned top scorer in the 1998 edition after scoring seven goals, confirming his status as one of the most prominent strikers in the history of the tournament.
Last stops
In the last years of his career, Hassan moved between a number of Egyptian clubs, defending the colors of Al-Masry of Port Said, Al-Tersana, and Al-Ittihad of Alexandria, before concluding his career on the field by announcing his final retirement from football in late 2007, after a career that spanned more than two decades.
Training march
After his retirement, Hassan turned to coaching in March 2008, and had experiences with a number of clubs and national teams, before assuming leadership of the Egyptian national team.
He began his coaching career in the Egyptian League, and led a number of clubs, including Al-Masry of Port Said in more than one state, Zamalek, Ismaily, Smouha, and Pyramids, gaining various coaching experiences over the years.
He took over coaching the Jordanian national team in June 2013, succeeding Iraqi coach Adnan Hamad, in his first and last experience with national teams outside Egypt before assuming leadership of the “Pharaohs.”
He led the Jordanian national team to reach the global qualifier for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, after reaching the decisive round of the qualifiers, achieving the best achievement in Jordan’s history in the World Cup qualifiers.
In the playoff, he faced the Uruguay national team, but failed to obtain the qualification card, so his mission with “Al-Nashama” ended in July 2014, before he returned to training in the Egyptian League through the Zamalek Club portal.
On February 6, 2024, Hossam Hassan was appointed technical director of the Egyptian national team, marking the culmination of his coaching career, and he took over the leadership of the “Pharaohs” in the qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
Championships and achievements
During his career as a player, Hossam Hassan achieved about 41 championships, including 25 titles with Al-Ahly, 10 titles with Zamalek, and five titles with the Egyptian national team, ranking him among the most decorated players in the history of Egyptian football.
He also achieved a number of records during his international career, as in 2001 he was crowned the Dean of the World Players, and he also became the oldest player to score a goal in the history of the African Cup of Nations, when he scored in the 2006 edition when he was thirty-nine years old.
