Al-Ahly trained in the morning without the national team players, who were preparing for their match against Burundi in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The session proceeded normally amidst the usual cheerful atmosphere following the club's double victory in the league and cup this year.
Suddenly, Mohamed Abdelwahab collapsed to the ground. Amir Abdelhamid called out to him laughingly, urging him to get up quickly, but he received no response.
The team doctor, Ehab Ali, rushed to him and then urgently demanded a car. It seemed the situation was far more serious than anyone had imagined.
"From the moment I saw him, I knew he was dying. My emotions refused to believe it, but my mind told me: this man is breathing his last breaths." – Dr. Ehab Ali.
Everyone abandoned the training session and rushed to Misr International Hospital to check on their teammate, who hadn't yet completed his twenty-third year. However, the devastating news soon came from inside the hospital.
Mohamed had died.
Communication networks across Egypt were disrupted for hours. The news spread rapidly, and between those who denied it, those shocked, and those who couldn't comprehend, all of Egypt plunged into a state of mourning.
"I have never in my entire life felt such shock at the loss of a human being as I did on that day. Throughout my stay in Egypt afterward, my room was adorned with a large framed picture of Mohamed Abdelwahab. Even today, that frame remains in my home. On that day, I lost a part of myself; I lost something I will never recover. I don't know why this feeling overcame me, but it still haunts me whenever I look at his photo." – Manuel José, former Al-Ahly coach.
Mohamed Abdelwahab, born in Senuris, Fayoum, on October 1, 1983, was playing for the first team of Al-Aluminium Club in Nag Hammadi before even turning eighteen.
His talent forced Hassan Shehata, the youth national team coach, to include him in the squad that won the African Youth Cup of Nations title in Burkina Faso in 2003, and subsequently reached the Round of 16 in the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in the UAE the same year.
Abdelwahab never returned from the UAE after being spotted by Al-Dhafra Club, which saw in him a promising project for the future. However, he never wore Al-Dhafra's jersey, as the Emirati club loaned him to ENPPI.
Through the petroleum club's gateway, Abdelwahab joined the Egyptian national team under Italian coach Marco Tardelli, playing his first international match and even scoring his first (and final) goal for Egypt against Sudan in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.
In the summer of 2004, José identified him as a key element in his project to build Al-Ahly's future team. Thus, the Red Devils signed him on a two-year loan from Al-Dhafra. Although his start wasn't easy due to the presence of Angolan giant Gilberto, Abdelwahab gradually established himself in Al-Ahly's starting lineup. Gilberto's Achilles tendon injury ultimately granted him the opportunity of a lifetime.
Two league titles, one Egypt Cup title, and two Egyptian Super Cups... plus the CAF Champions League and the CAF Super Cup constituted Abdelwahab's achievements during his two seasons with Al-Ahly. In between, he also won the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations with the Pharaohs, scoring a decisive penalty kick in the final against Ivory Coast.
At the end of the 2005–2006 season, Abdelwahab's loan period from Al-Dhafra to Al-Ahly concluded. The latter sought to activate a clause in the contract to convert the loan into a permanent transfer, but Al-Dhafra rejected this clause, insisting on retaining the player and selling him for a higher amount than previously agreed upon with Al-Ahly.
"I promised Al-Ahly I would stay with them. I will never break my promise, regardless of any financial temptation. I will settle everything with Al-Dhafra and continue wearing the red jersey. Only a madman would slander the blessing of Al-Ahly." – Mohamed Abdelwahab's final interview.
The crisis ignited and escalated, then appeared to be heading toward resolution through an amicable agreement between Al-Ahly, Al-Dhafra, and the player. Abdelwahab began training with the Red Devils in preparation for their match against Sfaxien in the CAF Champions League.
But instead of playing against Sfaxien, fans of the Tunisian club entered Cairo Stadium carrying a banner reading "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return." Meanwhile, Al-Ahly players kissed black armbands following goals scored by Abou Treika and Flávio.
Al-Ahly met Sfaxien again in the 2006 CAF Champions League final. At Radès Stadium, the Tunisian crowd initially booed Al-Ahly players and fans, but suddenly the boos turned into warm applause from everyone present when Al-Ahly supporters hung a picture of Abdelwahab in their stand. It was the same picture toward which the players ran to celebrate the African title by reciting Al-Fatiha (the opening chapter of the Quran) for their departed teammate.
Abdelwahab's story is summarized by his mother in a single sentence:
"Mohamed was dying for Al-Ahly... until he actually died for it."
