Legendary former Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary has thrown his support behind Mohamed El-Shenawy ahead of Egypt’s crucial semi-final clash against Senegal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Pharaohs are set to face Senegal on Wednesday evening, January 14, with a place in the final at stake as Egypt continues their quest for another continental crown.
Speaking on ON Sport, El Hadary offered words of encouragement to El-Shenawy, urging him to put any past mistakes behind him.
“The mistakes that Mohamed El Shenawy made happened to me. I told El Shenawy that he should forget the last match. In the next match, he will be the star of the match. I tell Mohamed El Shenawy that you are a great goalkeeper and you have the goal of reaching the final. Think about the 90 minutes and forget the past and you will come back stronger,” he said.
El Hadary also revealed his continued support for the current Egypt number one.
“I will support Mohamed El Shenawy tomorrow with something good. I talk to him constantly. May God help him. We have an important match, and there are 180 minutes left for the two matches, the first against Senegal and the other in the final,” El Hadary noted.
Reflecting on Egypt’s quarter-final victory over Ivory Coast, the former international praised the team’s overall performance and unity.
“The result of the Ivory Coast match shows that we played at the highest level. We could have won by more than 3 goals. I thank all the players and the technical staff for the spirit and cohesion, and the goal is to make all of Egypt’s fans happy,” he added.
