Amr Zaki
Encyclopedia
Amr Zaki is an Egyptian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Zamalek and the Egypt national team. He is known for his strong headers and for being a top striker in Africa.
before moving to ENPPI for the 2003–04 season. At ENPPI, he became the Egyptian Premier League
top goalscorer for the 2004–05 season and helped the club win its first trophy, the 2005 Egyptian Cup
, as well as being runners-up in the Egyptian Premier League,
After impressing in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, Zaki caught the attention of many clubs, such as El Zamalek and Al-Ahly
from Egypt, Al-Ain FC from the UAE, and Nantes from France
. But Zaki later decided to play for Russia
n club Lokomotiv Moscow, who signed him for a reported sum of €1.7 million. However, he did not play a single match for Lokomotiv. He supported Liverpool F.C growing up.
In 2006, Zaki moved back to the Egyptian Premier League
and signed to play for El Zamalek. Owing to his powerful physical displays as a forward, fans nicknamed him the "Bulldozer" and newspapers nicknamed him the "Egyptian Gladiator".
completed a one-year loan deal to bring Zaki to the JJB Stadium
for a sum of £
1.5 million. After scoring two goals in his two pre-season appearances for Wigan, Zaki scored on his league debut on 16 August against West Ham United
. On 30 August he scored his first brace for Wigan in a 5–0 victory over Premier League new-boys Hull City
. On 13 September he scored his fourth goal in as many games in the Premier League as Wigan drew with Sunderland
, putting him joint top of the goal scoring charts alongside Jermain Defoe
. On 28 September, Zaki scored again in the Premier League from the penalty spot against Manchester City
, and this goal took him to the top of the goal scorers list with 5 goals in 6 games. He followed it with two more goals against Liverpool, further solidifying his position as top scorer in the English Premier League. He also scored penalties in 2–1 victories over Portsmouth
and Newcastle
. At one point he was the third top scorer in the Premier League behind Chelsea's
Nicolas Anelka
and Manchester City's
Robinho
who had 15 and 12 respectively to Zaki's 10, however he failed to add to that tally in which Anelka finished top with 19.
Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan likened Zaki to Alan Shearer
, saying "when you look at this lad and his build... He has the same confidence when he gets the ball, he knows where the goal is, he doesn't need to look up, he has this instinct. Strikers like that have an instinct as to where the goal is. You can't describe it, you can't give it to anybody. Former Wigan manager Steve Bruce
has also been highly impressed with Zaki, and has told the press he believes he is "awesome". Bruce said "he put in a fantastic performance. If he keeps playing like that he is going to have a real future in the Premier League" and "his physique is great, he has awesome power and pace and of course he wants to score goals which is the important thing".
, to label him as the most unprofessional player he had ever worked with. His late returns from international duty led to Bruce publicly branding Zaki "highly unprofessional" and fining him the maximum amount permitted, which he has done on more than one occasion;
"Before this latest incident, Zaki had already been fined considerably more than the average person in Britain earns in a year and he will now face another heavy fine". However, Bruce said that repeatedly fining him does not seem to alter his poor behaviour. Bruce subsequently confirmed on 17 May 2009 that the club will not be taking up the option of making his loan deal permanent.
, who had been strongly linked with the player. This is largely criticized in the English press because his refusal was due to the presence of two Algerians and an Israeli on the team. Zaki said "after Portsmouth signed an Israeli player and also hired an Israeli football director a possible move was ruled out. On top of that, no way could I play at Portsmouth with an Algerian within in their ranks." During his time at El Zamalek he struggled with injuries, sickness, the lack of scoring goals, and a spot on the team.
moving to the club on a 5 month loan.
On 30 January 2010 he made his debut for Hull coming on as substitute for Jozy Altidore
in the 69 minute. Hull went on to draw the match 2–2 with Wolverhampton Wanderers
.
Amr Zaki quoted "If an offer from a decent club does not come up by the end of my time at Hull, then I will return to Zamalek." On 17 April 2010 it was confirmed by his agent that his loan had been terminated and he returned to Zamalek.
and gave phenomenal performances becoming the team's top scorer after scoring 3 goals in the league's first 4 matches. In October 2010 Zaki suffered a career threatening injury that kept him away for the better part of 10 months. Zaki returned from his injury and participated with Zamalek in the Egypt Cup, he scored twice during the semi-final against defending champions Haras el Hodood thus leading his team to qualify for the final after a 2-1 victory.
Zaki scored the winning goal for Egypt in the semi-final against Senegal
late in the second half, with his first touch moments after coming off the bench to replace a visibly irate Mido - whose argument with coach Hassan Shehata held up play and resulted in a six month international ban from the Egyptian Football Association
for the player. Egypt later went on to win their fifth continental title.
Zaki repeated his strong performances two years later in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring a goal against Zambia
in the group stage and another in the quarter final against Angola
. Additionally, he scored another header and then added another goal in the semi-final match against Ivory Coast. Egypt again went on to win the title for a record sixth time. He was chosen in the CAN 2008 All Star Starting XI.
Cap / Date / Result / Competition / Goals
8 Oct 2004 / Libya 2:1 Egypt / Away / World & African Cup Qualifiers 1
8 Jan 2005 / Egypt 3:0 Uganda / Home / Friendly 2
5 Jun 2005 / Egypt 6:1 Sudan / Home / World & African Cup Qualifiers 2
29 Jul 2005 / Egypt 5:0 Qatar / Neutral / Friendly Switzerland Tournament 1
4 Sep 2005 / Egypt 4:1 Benin / Home / World & African Cup Qualifiers 3
27 Dec 2005 / Egypt 2:0 Uganda / Home / Friendly Tournament 2
29 Dec 2005 / Egypt 4:2 Senegal / Home / Friendly Tournament 2
14 Jan 2006 / Egypt 1:2 South Africa / Home / Friendly 1
7 Feb 2006 / Egypt 2:1 Senegal / Home / African Nations Cup 1
7 Feb 2007 / Egypt 2:0 Sweden / Home / Friendly 1
5 Jan 2008 / Egypt 3:0 Namibia / Home / Friendly 2
30 Jan 2008 / Egypt 1:1 Zambia / Neutral / African Nations Cup 1
4 Feb 2008 / Egypt 2:1 Angola / Neutral / African Nations Cup 1
7 Feb 2008 / Egypt 4:1 Côte d'Ivoire / Neutral / African Nations Cup 2
1 Jun 2008 / Egypt 2:1 DR.Congo / Home / World Cup Qualifiers 1
6 Jun 2008 / Djibouti 0:4 Egypt / Away / World Cup Qualifiers 1
29 Mar 2009 / Egypt 1:1 Zambia / Home / World Cup Qualifiers 1
2 Oct 2009 / Egypt 4:0 Mauritius / Home / Friendly 1
5 Nov 2009 / Egypt 5:1 Tanzania / Home / Friendly 1
14 Nov 2009 / Egypt 2:0 Algeria / Home / World Cup Qualifiers 1
Early career
Zaki started his career at El MansouraEl Mansoura SC
El Mansoura Sporting Club is a Sporting Club representing El Mansoura in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. The team currently playing in the Egyptian Premier League...
before moving to ENPPI for the 2003–04 season. At ENPPI, he became the Egyptian Premier League
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League is an Egyptian professional league for football clubs and represents the top flight of Egyptian football. The championship consists of nineteen competing teams in a home and away league system. It is currently known as the Etisalat Egyptian Premier League, after the...
top goalscorer for the 2004–05 season and helped the club win its first trophy, the 2005 Egyptian Cup
Egyptian Soccer Cup
The Egypt Cup is the main "knockout" football cup competition in Egypt. It was created in 1921, and was not played only between 1968 and 1971 due to the Six-Day War, in 1973–74 due to October War and in 1979–80, 1981–82, 1986–87 and 1993–94....
, as well as being runners-up in the Egyptian Premier League,
After impressing in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, Zaki caught the attention of many clubs, such as El Zamalek and Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly Sports Club , commonly known as simply Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian sporting club. Founded in April 1907, Al-Ahly was named in 2000 by the Confederation of African Football as the "African Club of the Century"...
from Egypt, Al-Ain FC from the UAE, and Nantes from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. But Zaki later decided to play for Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n club Lokomotiv Moscow, who signed him for a reported sum of €1.7 million. However, he did not play a single match for Lokomotiv. He supported Liverpool F.C growing up.
In 2006, Zaki moved back to the Egyptian Premier League
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League is an Egyptian professional league for football clubs and represents the top flight of Egyptian football. The championship consists of nineteen competing teams in a home and away league system. It is currently known as the Etisalat Egyptian Premier League, after the...
and signed to play for El Zamalek. Owing to his powerful physical displays as a forward, fans nicknamed him the "Bulldozer" and newspapers nicknamed him the "Egyptian Gladiator".
Wigan Athletic
On 22 July 2008, Wigan AthleticWigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
completed a one-year loan deal to bring Zaki to the JJB Stadium
JJB Stadium
The DW Stadium is a sports stadium in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, that is home to Wigan Athletic football club and Wigan Warriors rugby league club....
for a sum of £
Pound sign
The pound sign is the symbol for the pound sterling—the currency of the United Kingdom . The same symbol is used for similarly named currencies in some other countries and territories, such as the Irish pound, Gibraltar pound, Australian pound and the Italian lira...
1.5 million. After scoring two goals in his two pre-season appearances for Wigan, Zaki scored on his league debut on 16 August against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
. On 30 August he scored his first brace for Wigan in a 5–0 victory over Premier League new-boys Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
. On 13 September he scored his fourth goal in as many games in the Premier League as Wigan drew with Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, putting him joint top of the goal scoring charts alongside Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Colin Defoe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national football team....
. On 28 September, Zaki scored again in the Premier League from the penalty spot against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, and this goal took him to the top of the goal scorers list with 5 goals in 6 games. He followed it with two more goals against Liverpool, further solidifying his position as top scorer in the English Premier League. He also scored penalties in 2–1 victories over Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
and Newcastle
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
. At one point he was the third top scorer in the Premier League behind Chelsea's
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka
Abdul-Salam Bilal on 14 March 1979) is a French international footballer, who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Chelsea. Anelka was also a regular starter for the French national team...
and Manchester City's
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
Robinho
Robinho
Robson de Souza , more commonly known as Robinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plays as second striker and winger for Serie A club AC Milan...
who had 15 and 12 respectively to Zaki's 10, however he failed to add to that tally in which Anelka finished top with 19.
Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan likened Zaki to Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
, saying "when you look at this lad and his build... He has the same confidence when he gets the ball, he knows where the goal is, he doesn't need to look up, he has this instinct. Strikers like that have an instinct as to where the goal is. You can't describe it, you can't give it to anybody. Former Wigan manager Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
has also been highly impressed with Zaki, and has told the press he believes he is "awesome". Bruce said "he put in a fantastic performance. If he keeps playing like that he is going to have a real future in the Premier League" and "his physique is great, he has awesome power and pace and of course he wants to score goals which is the important thing".
Controversy
In April 2009, Zaki failed to return to Wigan Athletic from one of Egypt's World Cup qualification matches, leading his former-club manager, Steve BruceSteve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
, to label him as the most unprofessional player he had ever worked with. His late returns from international duty led to Bruce publicly branding Zaki "highly unprofessional" and fining him the maximum amount permitted, which he has done on more than one occasion;
"Before this latest incident, Zaki had already been fined considerably more than the average person in Britain earns in a year and he will now face another heavy fine". However, Bruce said that repeatedly fining him does not seem to alter his poor behaviour. Bruce subsequently confirmed on 17 May 2009 that the club will not be taking up the option of making his loan deal permanent.
Return to Zamalek
Zaki returned to Egyptian Premier League side Zamalek for the 2009–10 season. During the summer transfer window, he turned down a move to English Premier League club PortsmouthPortsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, who had been strongly linked with the player. This is largely criticized in the English press because his refusal was due to the presence of two Algerians and an Israeli on the team. Zaki said "after Portsmouth signed an Israeli player and also hired an Israeli football director a possible move was ruled out. On top of that, no way could I play at Portsmouth with an Algerian within in their ranks." During his time at El Zamalek he struggled with injuries, sickness, the lack of scoring goals, and a spot on the team.
Hull City
On 17 January 2010, Zaki passed a medical with Hull CityHull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
moving to the club on a 5 month loan.
On 30 January 2010 he made his debut for Hull coming on as substitute for Jozy Altidore
Jozy Altidore
Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore is an American soccer player currently playing for Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, and for the United States national team....
in the 69 minute. Hull went on to draw the match 2–2 with Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
.
Amr Zaki quoted "If an offer from a decent club does not come up by the end of my time at Hull, then I will return to Zamalek." On 17 April 2010 it was confirmed by his agent that his loan had been terminated and he returned to Zamalek.
Return to Zamalek
Zaki returned to Zamalek at the beginning of the 2010/2011 season2010–11 Egyptian Premier League
The 2010–11 Egyptian Premier League is the fifty-fourth season of the Egyptian Premier League since its establishment in 1948. It began on 5 August 2010 and ended on 11 July 2011. The league was suspended on 27 January 2011 due to the Egyptian Revolution and resumed on 13 April 2011. A total of 16...
and gave phenomenal performances becoming the team's top scorer after scoring 3 goals in the league's first 4 matches. In October 2010 Zaki suffered a career threatening injury that kept him away for the better part of 10 months. Zaki returned from his injury and participated with Zamalek in the Egypt Cup, he scored twice during the semi-final against defending champions Haras el Hodood thus leading his team to qualify for the final after a 2-1 victory.
International career
Zaki plays for the Egyptian National Team. In the 2006 African Cup of Nations2006 African Cup of Nations
-Group B:---------------------Group C:---------------------Group D:---------------------Knockout stage:-Quarter-finals:-------------Semi-finals:-----Third-place play-off:-Final:-Scorers:...
Zaki scored the winning goal for Egypt in the semi-final against Senegal
Senegal national football team
The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, is the national team of Senegal and is controlled by the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football...
late in the second half, with his first touch moments after coming off the bench to replace a visibly irate Mido - whose argument with coach Hassan Shehata held up play and resulted in a six month international ban from the Egyptian Football Association
Egyptian Football Association
The Egyptian Football Association is the governing body of football in Egypt.The leading Egyptian clubs are as follows, with the total number of national competitions following the name of the club....
for the player. Egypt later went on to win their fifth continental title.
Zaki repeated his strong performances two years later in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring a goal against Zambia
Zambia national football team
The Zambia national football team represents the country of Zambia in the sport of association football and is governed by the Football Association of Zambia. Before independence they were known as the Northern Rhodesia national football team. The side is nicknamed Chipolopolo as copper is one of...
in the group stage and another in the quarter final against Angola
Angola national football team
The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras , is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002...
. Additionally, he scored another header and then added another goal in the semi-final match against Ivory Coast. Egypt again went on to win the title for a record sixth time. He was chosen in the CAN 2008 All Star Starting XI.
International Goals
Cap / Date / Result / Competition / Goals
8 Oct 2004 / Libya 2:1 Egypt / Away / World & African Cup Qualifiers 1
8 Jan 2005 / Egypt 3:0 Uganda / Home / Friendly 2
5 Jun 2005 / Egypt 6:1 Sudan / Home / World & African Cup Qualifiers 2
29 Jul 2005 / Egypt 5:0 Qatar / Neutral / Friendly Switzerland Tournament 1
4 Sep 2005 / Egypt 4:1 Benin / Home / World & African Cup Qualifiers 3
27 Dec 2005 / Egypt 2:0 Uganda / Home / Friendly Tournament 2
29 Dec 2005 / Egypt 4:2 Senegal / Home / Friendly Tournament 2
14 Jan 2006 / Egypt 1:2 South Africa / Home / Friendly 1
7 Feb 2006 / Egypt 2:1 Senegal / Home / African Nations Cup 1
7 Feb 2007 / Egypt 2:0 Sweden / Home / Friendly 1
5 Jan 2008 / Egypt 3:0 Namibia / Home / Friendly 2
30 Jan 2008 / Egypt 1:1 Zambia / Neutral / African Nations Cup 1
4 Feb 2008 / Egypt 2:1 Angola / Neutral / African Nations Cup 1
7 Feb 2008 / Egypt 4:1 Côte d'Ivoire / Neutral / African Nations Cup 2
1 Jun 2008 / Egypt 2:1 DR.Congo / Home / World Cup Qualifiers 1
6 Jun 2008 / Djibouti 0:4 Egypt / Away / World Cup Qualifiers 1
29 Mar 2009 / Egypt 1:1 Zambia / Home / World Cup Qualifiers 1
2 Oct 2009 / Egypt 4:0 Mauritius / Home / Friendly 1
5 Nov 2009 / Egypt 5:1 Tanzania / Home / Friendly 1
14 Nov 2009 / Egypt 2:0 Algeria / Home / World Cup Qualifiers 1
International
- 2003 Youth African Nations Cup
- 2006 African Nations Cup
- 2008 African Nations Cup
Individual
- Nominated for the 2008 CAF African Footballer of the YearAfrican Footballer of the YearThe African Footballer of the Year award, presented to the best African football player each year, has been conferred by the Confederation of African Football since 1992. An earlier African Footballer of the Year Golden Ball award was given out between 1970 and 1994 by France Football magazine...
award - Named in the CAF Starting XI in the Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2008