Shikabala

Early career

Shikabala joined the youth academy of Zamalek SC at 8 and made his first team appearance in a cup match early in 2002, scoring the winning goal at the age of 16. He remained with the first team squad since then but had very limited playing time and no professional contract, which is why he was able to leave Zamalek and join PAOK FC in January 2005 for no transfer fee. He enjoyed one relatively successful season with PAOK; however, despite the Greek club being adamant that he would remain at the club until the end of his contract in 2009, Shikabala subsequently returned to Egypt in 2006 for military service.

Zamalek

When Shikabala initially returned to Egypt from Greece in January 2007, it was amidst controversy as he signed for arch rivals Al Ahly. "I wanted to return to Zamalek," Shikabala later recalled, "but at this time they had many administrative problems and they refused to sign me." After the best transfer went viral, Zamalek chairman Mamdouh Abbas and teammate Gamal Hamza were able to convince Shikabala to return to Zamalek. Shikabala enjoyed a phenomenal start with Zamalek scoring once again on his second debut for the club the winner in a 1–0 match. Shika quickly carved a place for himself in Henri Michel's starting line-up gradually replacing club legend and fans' idol Hazem Emam. On 2 July 2007, Shikabala scored his first goal in the Cairo derby against Al Ahly in the cup final which ended 4–3 for Al Ahly. By the start of the…

Shikabala made his international debut on 3 June 2007 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Mauritania. While he has never played a major role on the national team, Shikabala has made several appearances during key parts of Egypt's recent history. He was part of Egypt's squad in the 2010 African Cup of Nations, featuring in one match as Egypt ended up as winners for the seventh time and third in a row. He decided to resign from international football in 2010, citing racist insults that he had endured from Al Ahly fans during the Cairo derby and saying that he did not want to confront such situations in international games. However, on 8 August 2012, he was called up by manager Bob Bradley for friendly matches against Benin and Cameroon. After being featured in the squad for Egypt's 2014 African Nations Championship qualifying campaign, Shikabala endured a three-year absence from the national team. He returned to the squad on 12 November 2017, where he scored his second official international goal against Ghana in Egypt's final World Cup qualifier. In June 2018, Shikabala was named to Egypt for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Shikabala was not a traditional winger, he usually played in a free role, either as a forward and an attacking midfielder behind the forwards, or as a second striker in a front–two. Described as a "classic number 10", He was renowned for his dribbling ability, vision, close ball control, passing and creativity. He scored many goals from powerful shots outside the box with his left foot. He was also a generous assistant for his teammates. His style is characterized by skillful close control and using trickery to get past opponents, rather than relying solely on pace. Shikabala is renowned for his ability to weave past defenders, often using small touches and tricks. While his skills are undeniable, he has also been described as potentially volatile.

Club

As of 3 July 2025

International

Scores and results list Egypt's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Shikabala goal.