Hassan Shehata

Hassan Shehata

Shehata in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Hassan Hassan Shehata
Date of birth	(1947-06-19) 19 June 1947 (age 76)
Place of birth	Kafr El Dawwar, Beheira, Egypt
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Kafr El Dawar
	Zamalek
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1966–1968	Zamalek		(5)
1968–1973	Kazma		(49)
1973–1982	Zamalek		(77)
International career‡
1969–1981	Egypt[1]	52	(14)
Managerial career
1983–1985	Zamalek U20
1985–1986	Zamalek (assistant)
1986–1988	Al-Wasl
1989–1990	Al-Merreikh
1990–1992	Ittihad El Shorta
1992–1993	Al Ittihad Alexandria
1993–1994	Ittihad El Shorta
1995–1996	Zamalek (assistant)
1996–1997	El Minya
1997–1998	El Sharkia
1998–1999	El Shams
1999	Al-Ahly Benghazi
1999–2000	Suez
2000	Al-Fujairah
2001	Dina Farms[2]
2001–2003	Egypt U20
2003–2004	El Mokawloon
2004–2011	Egypt
2011–2012	Zamalek
2012	Al-Arabi
2014	Difaâ El Jadidi
2014–2015	El Mokawloon
2015–2016	Petrojet
2018–2020	FC Mauerwerk (technical advisor)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Egypt (as player) African Games 1973 Africa Cup of Nations 1974 Representing  Egypt (as manager) Africa Cup of Nations Winner 2006 Winner 2008 Winner 2010
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 February 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 February 2023

Hassan Shehata (Egyptian Arabic: حسن شحاتة; born 19 June 1947) is an Egyptian retired football manager and former professional football player. He played as a forward. He is considered as one of the best forwards in the history of African football.^[3][4] He was nicknamed the "Master".^[5] As a manager, Shehata led Egypt to three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles, in 2006, 2008 and 2010. He was the first ever coach to win three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles. Shehata is one of only two coaches to win the Africa Cup three times, along with Ghana's Charles Gyamfi.

Shehata started his career in Zamalek, he played almost his whole career in Zamalek. He is considered as one of his country’s best football players and managers in history. Despite not winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt as a player, only obtaining a bronze medal in the 1974 edition, he managed to win the title for three consecutive times, becoming the only manager to make this achievement. As a player, Shehata was a prolific scorer and is considered one of Zamalek's legends. He stated in a press release that he is proud to be affiliated with the Zamalek Club, and stressed that he had spent the best days of his life inside the White Castle (Zamalek), and he was associated with great players during his career as a player in the team. Shehata pointed out that he is very proud of the Zamalek fans, who created the fame and stardom of all the players who played for the club throughout its long history, and that he considers the Zamalek fans to be the number one player in the system, and their support for the team has not differed over the ages.^[6][7]

Early life

Hassan Shehata was born on June 19, 1947 in the city of Kafr El Dawwar, Beheira into an athletic family. He began playing football since he was ten years old when he was a student in Kafr El Dawwar primary school, then at Salah Salem Commercial Secondary School. As a child, Shehata joined Kafr El Dawwar Club, one of the Egyptian Second division A clubs at that time.

Club career

Zamalek

After a friendly match with the Bahari team against the national team, Mohamed Hassan Helmy, the national team manager, offered him to join Zamalek, and he agreed. In his first match with Zamalek, which was held in November 1966, Shehata succeeded in scoring a Hat-trick as Zamalek won 4-0. He scored a total of 5 goals in the Egyptian Premier League and 1 goal in the Egypt Cup.

Kazma Al Kuwaiti

After the outbreak of the 1967 war, the local competition in Egypt stopped, and Shehata joined the Kuwaiti football club Kazma SC. He achieved several successes in Kuwait, including winning the best player in Asia award in 1970. Thus, Shehata is the only player to win the title of best player in a continent other than his home one. He was also recruited into the Kuwaiti Armed Forces and participated with the Kuwaiti national team in the World Military Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. He also participated with the Kuwait national football team in the AFC Asian Cup.

Return to Zamalek

Shehata returned to Egypt in 1973 to continue his career with Zamalek. He played for ten consecutive seasons with Zamalek. During his time as a player in Zamalek, he won the Egyptian League in the 1977-78 season, Egypt Cup for three times in the 1975, 1977, and 1979 seasons and the October League Cup in 1974. Shehata was a key player for the team, and scored in his second spell with Zamalek a total of 77 goals in the Egyptian League, 10 goals in Egypt Cup, six goals for Zamalek in the African competitions, and 9 goals in the October League Cup with a total of 102 goals in all competitions. Zamalek fans and Egyptian media nicknamed Hassan Shehata the "Master" chanting songs on his talent in scoring goals.^[8][9]

Shehata was the Egyptian League top-scorer in the 1976–77 and 1979–80 seasons. Shehata was famous for the goal he scored in one of the Cairo derby’s Zamalek vs Al Ahly matches in the 1981–82 season, which was canceled as the strangest goal canceled by a player due to offside, which resulted of losing the title to Al Ahly. Shehata was the first player to score a continental goal for Zamalek in their match against Ahly Tripoli in the 1976 African Cup Winners' Cup. In his two spells with Zamalek, he scored a total of 108 goals for the team in all competitions. He won the “Best Player in Egypt” award in 1976 and the Order of the Republic, first class in 1980.

International career

Shehata was called for the Egypt national football team in 1969, where his first international match was a friendly against Libya, in which Egypt won with a single goal scored by Hanafi Halil and assisted by Shehata. He played for Egypt in 52 international matches and scored 14 goals. He participated in the 1974, 1976 and 1980 African Cup of Nations, winning the title of the best midfielder in the 1974 African Cup of Nations, with his team finishing third. He scored 4 goals in the Africa Cup of Nations. Shehata retired as a player in 1983.

Career statistics

Club

Club	Season	League			Cup		Other		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Zamalek	1966–67	Egyptian Premier League		5		1			—			6
Kazma SC	1967–68	Kuwaiti Division One		5		1	—		—			6
	1968–69			14		2	—		—			16
	1969–70	Kuwaiti Premier League		7		0		10[a]	—			17
	1970–71			9		2		6[b]	—			17
	1971–72			7		1		5[c]	—			13
	1972–73			6		0		8[d]	—			14
	total			48		6		29				83
Al-Arabi (loan)	1970–71	Kuwait Premier League	0	0	0	0	—			3[e]		3
Zamalek	1973–74	Egyptian Premier League		0		0		9[f]	—			9
	1974–75			6		4			—			10
	1975–76			13		0	—			3[g]		16
	1976–77			18		1	—		—			19
	1977–78			7		1	—			1[h]		9
	1978–79			4		1	—			2[i]		7
	1979–80			14		0	—		—			14
	1980–81			8		0	—		—			8
	1981–82			5		1	—		—			6
	1982–83			2		2	—		—			4
	total			82		11		9		6		102
Career total				130		17		38		9		194

International

Egypt
Year	Apps	Goals
1969–1981	52	14
Total	52	14

Coaching career

Shehata started his coaching in Zamalek career immediately after retirement, he first coached the Zamalek U20 team from 1983 to 1985. Afterwards, he worked as assistant to the first team from 1985 to 1986. He traveled to Emirates in 1987 and coached Emirati side Al Wasl in 1987, he won with them the 1987–88 UAE Football League and the UAE President's Cup in 1987. Afterwards, he coached Sudanese football club Al-Merrikh and won the Sudan Premier League in 1990. After brief spells in the 1990s, helping in the promotion of El Sharkia SC, El Minya SC, and Suez SC to the Egyptian premier league. In 2003, Shehata managed Egypt national under-20 football team to win the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations and played in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. He managed Al Mokawloon Al Arab SC and won the 2004 Egypt Cup and the 2004 Egyptian Super Cup, winning Al Ahly and Zamalek in the finals, respectively.

In 2004, Shehata became Egypt's national team coach after the sacking of Italian coach Marco Tardelli.^[10][11][12] In the 2006 African Cup of Nations, hosted by Egypt, he led the team to its first Cup of Nations in eight years, defeating the Ivory Coast in the final. During the 2006 African Cup semi-final against Senegal, Shehata had a serious argument with one of his players, Mido. As a result, Mido reacted negatively to being substituted.^[13] Shehata was vindicated minutes later when Amr Zaki, the player replacing Mido, scored the winning goal; which took Egypt to the final. Shehata did allow Mido to accept his medal at the closing ceremonies of the African Cup of Nations. Following the incident in a few days, Mido issued a public apology.^[14]

Shehata led Egypt to three successive titles at the African Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008 and 2010.^[15] Thus, Egypt became the first African nation to achieve such record.^[16] Consequently, the Egyptian team were ranked as high as 9th in the FIFA World Rankings. Due to his great coaching ability throughout during that period, In 2008, he was awarded the title of CAF Coach of the Year.

In 2010, FFHSI had ranked him as the best African Coach.^[17] He was also selected as one of the top five African coaches internationally.^[18][19] In 2011, Shehata finally coached his home club, he worked in Zamalek for one season; the 2011–12 season. In 2015, he became President of the SATUC Football Cup, a new charitable global football competition for U16 orphans, refugees and disadvantaged children.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Hassan Shehata is currently married and has two children; Islam and Karim. He is a muslim. He lives in Cairo.

Honours

Player

Zamalek

• Egyptian Premier League: 1977-78
• Egypt Cup: 1975, 1977, 1979
• October League Cup: 1974

Egypt

• African Games: bronze medal 1973
• Africa Cup of Nations: third place 1974

Individual

• Kuwaiti Premier League top scorer: 1969–70, 1970–72, 1971–72
• Asian Footballer of the Year: 1970
• France Football: Third best African player for the year: 1974
• Best midfielder in 1974 African Cup of Nations
• EFA Best player in Egypt: 1976
• Egyptian Premier League top scorer: 1976-77, 1979-80

Orders

• Order of the Republic, First Class: 1980

Manager

Al Wasl

• UAE Pro League: 1987–88
• UAE President's Cup: 1987

Al-Merrikh

• Sudan Premier League: 1990

Suez SC

• Egyptian Second Division A: 1996-97

El Sharkia SC

• Egyptian Second Division A: 1997-98

El Minya SC

• Egyptian Second Division A: 1998-99

Al Mokawloon Al Arab SC

• Egypt Cup: 2004
• Egyptian Super Cup: 2004

Egypt U-20

• U-20 Africa Cup of Nations: 2003

Egypt

• Africa Cup of Nations: 2006, 2008, 2010
• Arab Games: 2007
• Nile Basin Tournament: 2011

Individual

• The best coach in Africa of the year by the Confederation of African Football; 2008
• The best coach in Africa of the year by International Federation of Football History and Statistics: 2010

References