Former Zamalek defender Ahmed Magdy joins Petrol Asyut on a free transfer

Ahmed Magdy has left Zamalek and joined Petrol Asyut on a three-year contract after his name was removed from the club’s squad list.

The defender, who came through Zamalek’s youth system, completed the move as a free agent and has already featured in a friendly match for Petrol Asyut as the club prepares for the new league season.

Magdy was one of four players from Zamalek’s youth ranks told they would leave the club. The others were Anas Wael, Abdelrahman Kamal and Ayman Amir Abdel Aziz.

The 20-year-old? No age was provided in the original report, and therefore no age should be added. Magdy spent 14 years at Zamalek after first attending trials at the club.

In a statement posted on his Instagram account, the former Zamalek player described the end of his time at the Cairo club and revealed his frustration at missing an opportunity to establish himself in the first team.

“I spent 14 years inside Zamalek Club, after going to trials and undergoing more than 10 tests. Every time I went, I knew that I might leave, but I trusted in God. Praise be to God, I was accepted without any connections. Throughout my football career, I never had connections and did not rely on anyone, other than God’s will and then my own efforts,” he wrote.

Magdy said he represented Zamalek at every youth level, played for Egypt’s youth national team and was promoted to the senior squad by Jose Gomes.

“During those 14 years, I played at every age group and had the honour of representing the youth national team. I was promoted to the first team with Jose Gomes, but unfortunately, just a few days before registration, I was told that I would not continue with the club,” he added.

He also claimed a medical issue cost him an entire season, despite having no symptoms or previous complaints.

“Last season, I was surprised to be told that I had a health problem and needed to undergo tests, even though I had never complained about anything in my life and had not felt any symptoms. I spent around six months having examinations and scans because of something that ultimately turned out not to exist in the first place. I lost an entire season that I had been waiting for in order to prove myself with the first team,” Magdy said.

According to Magdy, he later obtained a report from the head of the cardiology department at Cairo University. He said the doctor was the same specialist to whom Zamalek had asked him to go for assessment.

“In the end, I received a report from the head of the cardiology department at Cairo University, the same doctor the club had asked me to see. He confirmed that I was completely healthy and that there was nothing preventing me from playing football. Despite that, the club rejected more than one offer I received after I was promoted to the first team. The response was always: ‘You are the son of the club and the future of the club’,” he wrote.

Magdy said he had repeatedly contacted Zamalek during the close-season to establish whether he remained part of the club’s plans, adding that he wanted time to find another team before registration lists closed if he was not going to stay.

“Throughout the holiday, I kept in contact with the club to find out my situation. If it was not meant to be, I wanted to look for my future elsewhere before clubs closed their squads. But every time, I was told that I would continue with the team,” he said.

Zamalek board member Hussein El Sayed has said the decision over which young players would remain in the first-team squad for the new season was based solely on the technical assessment of the coaching staff, led by Moataz Gamal.