Karim Hafez, the left-back for the Egyptian national team, directed an emotional message after the end of the Pharaohs' journey in the 2026 World Cup tournament.
The Egyptian national team bid farewell to the World Cup competitions from the round of 16 after losing to Argentina (2-3).
Karim Hafez wrote on his personal page on the social networking site "Facebook": "In 2018, God did not want me to be present with the Egyptian national team in the World Cup".
He added: "I went through difficult circumstances and a fracture that affected my professional career, but I never lost hope, I kept dreaming of this moment all my life, and I believed that God is just, and that He never wastes anyone's effort or hard work".
He continued: "After 8 years, fate wills it, and I return to wearing the Egyptian national team shirt in the World Cup, and be present in the biggest football event in the world, and write a page from my history among men and heroes whom I was honored to play with".
He continued: "We wanted to make the greatest people in the world happy, the Egyptian people, who were always standing behind us and supporting us with all love, we gave everything we had, but this is ultimately football, it has winning and it has losing".
He indicated: "I would like to thank all my fellow players for every beautiful moment we lived together, and thank the technical staff led by Captain Hossam Hassan, and also thanks to the Egyptian Football Association for the trust and support".
He completed: "Thank you to every Egyptian who believed in us, supported us, and was a reason for us to fight until the last moment".
He concluded: "Proud of you, my country, and proud that I represented the name of Egypt in the World Cup, praise be to God for everything".
