Trézéguet, an Egyptian footballer, has left an indelible impression on football, particularly while playing for Aston Villa. Al Ahly initially signed him at eight and swiftly rose to become one of Egypt’s and the Premier League’s top players. However, his time in the Premier League ended after a clash with the Premier League legend Steven Gerrard, who had recently been named the club’s manager. The club released him to the Turkish league after he threatened to “cause problems” if the manager did not allow him to leave Aston Villa immediately. Nonetheless, he continues to inspire football fans around the world, including, of course, in Arab countries.
The rise of a star
Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan, also known as Trezeguet, was born in Egypt’s Kafr El Sheikh governorate 30 years ago and quickly rose to football prominence. His career began in 2002 when Cairo-based Al Ahly enrolled him in its program. The little youngster earned his moniker by proving himself early on while playing for the school squad. His then-coach, Badr Ragab, spotted his extraordinary goal-scoring ability when he was only nine years old. The coach also highlighted his strong likeness and similarities in style to David Trezeguet, Juventus’ fourth most prolific goal scorer in history.
Trezeguet quickly developed into the persona of a promising international footballer. He accepted an offer to move to Qatar to play for Al Ahly’s youth academy to further his development. The young man became a beacon of hope for the academy, playing midfield under coach Ali Maher. He eventually reinvented himself as a professional player fit to play at the highest level. During the 2012 CAF Champions League, his manager, Manuel José de Jesus, assisted him in transitioning into the role. His excellent improvement drew the interest of several European football clubs. He was eventually recruited by Brussels-based Anderlecht for over £2 million.
The professional rollercoaster
Trézéguet’s rise to fame in international football has not been easy. The Egyptian encountered a linguistic barrier at Anderlecht, making it difficult to follow even the most basic instructions. Despite his immense talent, he was ultimately sidelined in 2016. Fortunately, his contract permitted him to join another club on loan. Trézéguet went on loan to Mouscron at the start of the 2016/17 season. His significant contribution, including excellent goal-scoring, helped the club avoid relegation that season. He scored eight goals in 24 games.
After being loaned to Kasımpaşa in the Süper Lig, he scored 16 goals in a single season. Trézéguet had a successful international season in 2018, scoring nine goals and assisting on nine others. His popularity skyrocketed throughout that time. He was regarded as one of Egypt’s best footballers, earning notoriety alongside his Liverpool rival, Mo Salah. To date, his fame is still on the rise with almost 2 million Twitter followers.
Life and times at the Aston Villa Football Club
In July 2019, Trézéguet’s career took a major step forward when he signed with Aston Villa for an estimated €10 million. This signing was significant in increasing the popularity of the English Premier League (EPL) among football fans from Arabic countries. As a result, more people from these countries are likely to discover and engage with betting and online casino platforms.
Villa became his new home for three seasons. In 64 appearances, he scored nine goals and assisted five times. The Premier League was a much greater challenge. Trézéguet, as before, helped the club avoid relegation. More importantly, he guided AVFC to a close victory in the 2020 English Football League Cup final. Unfortunately, his team lost against Manchester City.
Trézéguet encountered his fellow Egyptian, Mo Salah, at one juncture and surprisingly outplayed the Premier League giant in which Aston Villa defeated Liverpool 7-2. He admitted that Mo Salah was disappointed with the humiliating setback, but he was glad that his fellow countrymen had achieved such greatness. This match was among the record number of bettings made by the users of Arab online casinos because of two Egypt football stars competing with each other face to face. Trézéguet was pleased that he was living up to the legends of his football heroes, including Ronaldo and Mo Salah himself.
Unfortunately, the entrance of Steven Gerrard brought a nasty twist to his colourful career. Their relationship was strained, and they had a fierce disagreement at one time. The Egyptian instantly wanted to leave the club. He even threatened to make trouble if the Liverpool legend didn’t let him leave. Trézéguet stated that he felt under strain when dealing with manager Steven Gerrard. The signing of Philippe Coutinho posed a further threat to his future at the club. He joined İstanbul Başakşehir on loan in February 2022 before returning to Trabzonspor in July of the same year.
Conclusion
Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan, alias Trézéguet, has had a successful career playing for clubs in multiple competitions. Although troubled, his football career is admirable and deserves close examination by upcoming footballers. His current position as a forward for Trabzonspor in the Super Lig and the Egyptian national team demonstrates that he is still capable of delivering stunning performances.