 Fathy withEgypt at the2018 FIFA World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ahmed Fathy Abdelmonem Ahmed Ibrahim[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1984-11-10)10 November 1984 (age 41)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Benha, Egypt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Full-back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ismaily | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2007 | Ismaily | 73 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Sheffield United | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2014 | Al Ahly | 106 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | →Kazma (loan) | 21 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | →Hull City (loan) | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Umm Salal | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Al Ahly | 114 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | Pyramids | 62 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 403 | (28) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Egypt Olympic (O.P.) | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2021 | Egypt | 136 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16 August 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ahmed Fathy Abdelmonem Ahmed Ibrahim (Egyptian Arabic:أحمد فتحى عبد المنعم أحمد إبراهيم; born 10 November 1984) is an Egyptian former professionalfootballer who played as afull-back.
Considered by some as one of Africa's best-ever full-backs, Fathy started his career with Egyptian sideIsmaily SC before moving to England to play in thePremier League withSheffield United in 2007. Fathy returned to Egypt after only a few months however, signing forAl Ahly where he remained until April 2020 when he signed forPyramids FC, whilst also spending some time on loan at both the Kuwait sideKazma andHull City back in England. Alongside his club career, Fathy representedEgypt from 2002, playing over one hundred games and scoring nine goals for his country.
Fathy was born inBanha,[2] He played as amidfielder andright-back forIsmaily in Egypt, where he won the2001–02 Egyptian Premier League. In early 2007, EgyptiannewspaperAl-Ahram reported that Fathy's club had acceptedSheffield United's £700,000 offer for the player,[3] and after a number of weeks of protracted negotiations, Fathy signed a three-and-a-half-year contract on 24 January 2007.[4] Fathy made hisPremier League debut for United as asubstitute in the closing minutes of a 2–1 victory overTottenham Hotspur atBramall Lane on 10 February 2007,[5] and made his full first team debut atAnfield againstLiverpool on 24 February 2007,[6] but failed to hold down a regular spot for the Blades.[7]
Fathy had been linked with a move to the Egyptian clubEl Zamalek for €2 million after discussions with Sheffield United's management, but the player refused the transfer even though the clubs had agreed a fee – with Fathy insisting he wanted to continue his career as a professional player outside of Egypt. However, El Zamalek's Egyptian rivalsAl Ahly succeeded in gaining Fathy's consent for a move andSheffield United's agreement to a deal. On 10 September 2007 Fathy joined El-Ahly for a fee of £675,000 after making just three senior appearances for United in the eight months he had spent with the club.[7][8]
Fathy had been signed after the transfer window in Egypt had closed however, and with Al-Ahly being unable to register him to play until the following January, they looked to place Fathy on loan outside of the country to help to regain match fitness. Al Ahly managed to broker a deal with Kuwaiti sideKazma to accept the player on a loan, where Fathy played regularly for the first team, scoring four goals. Fathy finally made his Al Ahly debut in an away game againstArab Contractors on 10 March 2008, and went on to become Ahly's first choice in central midfield alongsideHossam Ashour. Following the departure ofAhmed Sedik in 2009, Fathy was moved to right back where he once again became a regular for the team.
In January 2013, EnglishChampionship sideHull City expressed an interest in signing Fathy, along with his teammateGedo, on loan until the end of the2012–13 season.[9] On 31 January 2013, Hull City had finalized a six-month loan deal for Fathy and Gedo, with Hull paying £500,000 for each player's services.[10] Fathy made his debut on 16 February 2013 at home in a 1–0 win againstCharlton Athletic, appearing as a second-half substitute forPaul McShane.[11]
Fathy leftAl Ahly after his contract expired in June 2014 and joinedUmm Salal in Qatar in August 2014 after an unsuccessful trial with English giantsArsenal.[12]
Fathy rejoined Al Ahly in 2015.[13] In April 2020, he decided to leave the club by the end of the season.[14]
On 11 April 2020, Pyramids FC announced that Fathy would be joining their side at the end of the season on a free transfer after Al Ahly's failure of securing a contract renewal with the 35 year old defender.[15] On 21 September 2024, he announced his retirement from football.[16]
Fathy became theEgypt national team's youngest ever international when he wascapped at 17 years old in 2001 againstSouth Africa. Fathy was picked for the National team by Egyptian CoachMohsen Saleh even before playing in his club's first teamIsmaily SC, although this followed soon after, and was then called up for the Egyptian youth team. Fathy was a member of the Egyptian youth team that won theAfrican Youth Cup 2003 in Burkina Faso, and was part of the Egypt squad at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in 2003, and at one point Fathy was part of Egypt's U-20, U-23 and senior squads at the same time. Fathy was also part of the Egypt squad that won theAfrica Cup of Nations at theCairo International Stadium in 2006, when they beatIvory Coast on penalties in the final.
In the2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Fathy was named as the fair player of the tournament and he was named in the team of the tournament.
In May 2018, he was named in Egypt's squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[17] He scored an own goal in the match againstRussia.[18]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 2002 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 134 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 February 2007 | Cairo International Stadium,Cairo, Egypt |  Sweden | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 7 February 2008 | Baba Yara Stadium,Kumasi, Ghana |  Ivory Coast | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 3 | 11 August 2010 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |  DR Congo | 3–1 | 6–3 | Friendly |
Ismaily
Al Ahly
Pyramids
Egypt
Egypt U20
Individual
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Al Ahly SC captain 2020 | Succeeded by |
Egypt squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Awards | |||||
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