El-Sayed El-Dhizui
Encyclopedia
El-Sayed Mohammed Al-Tabei “El-Dhizui” (born September 14, 1926) is a former Egypt
ian footballer.He was born in Port Said
.
The great Egyptian forward El-Sayed Al-Tabei was given the nickname El-Dhizui for his likeness to a local-based Italian player called Desi Lucetti. He was first known in his home city of Port Said as Desi Al-Saghir or Desi Junior, which later changed to Deswi or El-Dhizui, his name would become one of the most feared in the Arab World for his goal scoring abilities in the six-yard box.
Fans, coaches, teammates and even his opponents all expected El-Dhizui to score every time time he walked onto the pitch, whether for club or country, and he usually did. In one memorable game against Norway in Oslo in 1955, the Magician scored an emphatic all five goals for Egypt in their 5-4 win over the Scandinavians, and was offered contracts from various European based clubs, however non were pursued, and eventually joined Al-Ahly winning four league titles and two cups in his five seasons at the famous club. El-Dhizui began his playing career at an early age with his school at the Nile Primary School and later at Port Said Secondary, where he was spotted playing in a school league by Hussein Al-Deeb, coach of the Al-Masry Club, who was astounded by the youngster’s ability on the ball. The coach alerted the club’s president Abdel-Rahman Lotfi Pasha and at the age of 16 the player was signed up for the team.
He quickly became a regular in the first team helping the club to win six titles in the Canal Zone League
in 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947 and 1948. also reaching three Egyptian Cup finals, and was eventually called into the national team for the first time in a friendly game with Hungary in 1947, El-Dhizui ended up on the losing side with a 3-2 defeat but he did however manage to score on his debut, and a year later played at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. One of his greatest accolades with the national side apart from his 5 goals in 3 games helping Egypt to win the 1st Pan Arab Games in Alexandria
in 1953, came when he played against the Netherlands, and impressed Queen Juliana of the Netherlands so much that after the game she half-jokingly asked for El-Dhizui’s boots to be checked for magnets! As it seem to her that the ball was glued to his feet for most of the game. The remark earned him another nickname, “El-Magnatis” or the Magnet. With his home club Al-Masry
, he was leading scorer in the Egyptian league three times in consecutive years in 1949, 1950 and 1951, and after his move to Al-Ahly
in Cairo
his 14 goals gave him his fourth title in 1959 and ended his career with Al-Ahly with 49 goals in five seasons for the club. He rejoined his first club Al-Masry in 1961, and retired in 1964 at the age of 37 with a record 112 goals in the Egyptian league.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian footballer.He was born in Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
.
The great Egyptian forward El-Sayed Al-Tabei was given the nickname El-Dhizui for his likeness to a local-based Italian player called Desi Lucetti. He was first known in his home city of Port Said as Desi Al-Saghir or Desi Junior, which later changed to Deswi or El-Dhizui, his name would become one of the most feared in the Arab World for his goal scoring abilities in the six-yard box.
Fans, coaches, teammates and even his opponents all expected El-Dhizui to score every time time he walked onto the pitch, whether for club or country, and he usually did. In one memorable game against Norway in Oslo in 1955, the Magician scored an emphatic all five goals for Egypt in their 5-4 win over the Scandinavians, and was offered contracts from various European based clubs, however non were pursued, and eventually joined Al-Ahly winning four league titles and two cups in his five seasons at the famous club. El-Dhizui began his playing career at an early age with his school at the Nile Primary School and later at Port Said Secondary, where he was spotted playing in a school league by Hussein Al-Deeb, coach of the Al-Masry Club, who was astounded by the youngster’s ability on the ball. The coach alerted the club’s president Abdel-Rahman Lotfi Pasha and at the age of 16 the player was signed up for the team.
He quickly became a regular in the first team helping the club to win six titles in the Canal Zone League
Canal Zone League
Canal Zone League or Canal League is an old Egyptian football tournament.Before the start of Egyptian league in its current form, the main competition was Egypt Cup which started 1922. Egyptian federation started its 1st league competition in the form of regional leagues...
in 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947 and 1948. also reaching three Egyptian Cup finals, and was eventually called into the national team for the first time in a friendly game with Hungary in 1947, El-Dhizui ended up on the losing side with a 3-2 defeat but he did however manage to score on his debut, and a year later played at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. One of his greatest accolades with the national side apart from his 5 goals in 3 games helping Egypt to win the 1st Pan Arab Games in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in 1953, came when he played against the Netherlands, and impressed Queen Juliana of the Netherlands so much that after the game she half-jokingly asked for El-Dhizui’s boots to be checked for magnets! As it seem to her that the ball was glued to his feet for most of the game. The remark earned him another nickname, “El-Magnatis” or the Magnet. With his home club Al-Masry
Al-Masry
Al-Masry Sporting Club , is an Egyptian sporting club based in Port Said. Founded in 1920 by a group of Egyptians in Port Said to be the first club for the Egyptians in the city which was full of many other clubs for the foreign communities which inhabited Port Said...
, he was leading scorer in the Egyptian league three times in consecutive years in 1949, 1950 and 1951, and after his move to 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"...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
his 14 goals gave him his fourth title in 1959 and ended his career with Al-Ahly with 49 goals in five seasons for the club. He rejoined his first club Al-Masry in 1961, and retired in 1964 at the age of 37 with a record 112 goals in the Egyptian league.
Clubs
- Al-Masry Port Said (1943–1956),
- Al-Ahly Cairo (1956–1961),
- Al-Masry Port Said (1961–1964)