Yamani regrets playing for Zamalek

CAIRO – 27 February 2018: Former Egyptian striker Mohamed El Yamani revealed on Monday that leaving his Belgian team, Standard Liège, to join Zamalek in 2004 was the biggest regret of his life as a footballer.

“I refused to renew my contract with Standard Liège despite their offer to double my salary, and I decided to accept Zamalek’s offer,” Yamani said during an interview with “El Modarag” program.

Yamani started his career with El Qanah in Ismailia before leaving for Europe to play for the Belgian giants, Standard Liège, when he was 17.

He shined in Belgium and established himself as the team’s starting striker. He also joined Egypt’s national youth team, who were travelling to Argentina to participate in the U-19 World Cup in 2001.

Scoring four goals, Yamani led the national team to achieve the bronze medal for the first time in history.

After the tournament, Yamani received an offer to join Juventus, but he had an accident that affected his performance with his Belgian club and he decided to return to play for Zamalek.