Hossam Abdel-Meguid says Egypt will benefit from more players moving abroad

Hossam Abdel-Meguid believes Egypt’s national team will improve as more of its players gain experience in European football, while asking Zamalek supporters to be understanding of the club’s current difficulties.

The Egypt defender was speaking after completing his move to Bulgarian side Ludogorets from Zamalek this summer. He made his first appearance for the club as a substitute in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Slavia Sofia in the sixth round of the Bulgarian league.

“I had been seeking a move to Europe for more than three years and I am not thinking about returning to the Egyptian league,” Abdel-Meguid told Al-Nahar TV.

He added: “The greater the number of players who become professionals, the more that will ultimately benefit the Egypt national team.”

Abdel-Meguid also addressed the pressure facing his former club, whose players have not had the chance to take part in a proper pre-season preparation period.

“I hope the Zamalek fans will forgive the players at the moment because they did not take part in a pre-season and they are in a situation that is not enviable,” he said.

“The Zamalek players are capable of handling the responsibility and have carried the responsibility of the team throughout the past period.”

Asked who could succeed him in central defence, Abdel-Meguid said Zamalek would continue to progress regardless of any individual player.

“Zamalek does not depend on any player, whether it is Hossam Abdel-Meguid or anyone else,” he said. “I believe Osama is a promising defender and he will be in the national team soon.”

The former Zamalek defender also backed the decision to retain Moataz Gamal as manager.

“Keeping Moataz Gamal with the team is the right decision because he knows the team very well,” Abdel-Meguid said.

Attention then turned to Egypt’s prospects at the World Cup in the United States. Abdel-Meguid said he felt the national team could have gone further in the tournament and reached the quarter-finals because of the talent available in the squad.

“We could have reached a later stage at the World Cup and qualified for the quarter-finals because we have several talented players in the national team,” he said.

He also praised the influence of head coach Hossam Hassan, saying the manager’s determination had been evident during training and at national-team camps.

“Hossam Hassan’s enthusiasm and spirit reach us in training and at the camp,” Abdel-Meguid said. “He told us that he would not go to the World Cup just to play three matches and then return to Egypt. His message to us has always been that we can beat any team.”

According to Abdel-Meguid, Hossam Hassan deliberately avoided discussing Lionel Messi in detail because he believed repeated references to the Argentina captain could create a psychological barrier for Egypt’s players.

“Hossam Hassan did not speak to us about Lionel Messi personally because he believes that talking about him repeatedly could create a psychological barrier for us,” he said.

Abdel-Meguid concluded by highlighting the importance of captain Mohamed Salah, who he believes has helped reduce the pressure on his team-mates.

“Mohamed Salah removed the pressure from the players on the pitch and has many roles on the pitch,” he said.

Ludogorets will play their next match against Spartak Varna on Sunday, 30 August.

Abdel-Meguid joined Ludogorets from Zamalek during the summer. He made 171 appearances for Zamalek, scoring 15 goals and assisting another.

During his time with the club, he won three Egyptian league titles, two Egypt Cups, one CAF Super Cup and one CAF Confederation Cup.