Egypt national team defender Rami Rabia revealed the secret behind Omar Marmoush's declining performance in the 2026 World Cup.
Egypt's national team bid farewell to the 2026 World Cup after a historic run that took them to the round of 16, where they were eliminated by defending champions Argentina 3-2 amid widespread refereeing controversy.
The Egyptian national team returned home yesterday, Friday, and was honored by President Sisi following the Pharaohs' remarkable campaign at the 2026 World Cup.
Rami Rabia's statements
Rabia said during an appearance on MBC channel: "Omar Marmoush is a very big player, and he is one of the closest players to me; we always talk. But stars in big matches face very high focus from opponents, like Marmoush and Mohamed Salah."
He added: "Opponents always put great pressure on the stars and focus on them because they know how stellar and dangerous they are on the pitch and their ability to make a difference at any moment."
The Egypt defender continued: "As a defender, when I face a team that has a star player, I study him thoroughly, learn his strengths and weaknesses to limit his threat during the match, and I must stay fully focused on him. This is exactly what happens with our team's stars."
Regarding the criticism directed at Marmoush for being accused of selfishness, Rabia said: "He must have a degree of selfishness because he possesses individual solutions, and it is natural for him to make a wrong decision sometimes because he is ultimately human and under pressure, but he always felt the responsibility and wanted to contribute something to the national team."
He added: "Before the match against Australia, Marmoush held a session with me and warned me about many of the opponent's strengths and kept guiding me. He also spoke about some things he wanted to execute during the match; he always feels the responsibility."
The Al Ain player stressed: "Omar Marmoush's presence on the pitch is very important because he draws two opposing defenders with him. In the match against Iran, two of my colleagues from the UAE league told me after the game that Marmoush's entry exhausted them because they had to mark him in pairs, whereas Salah's exit was more comfortable for them."
Rabia concluded his remarks by saying: "When Marmoush misses an easy chance, people attack him heavily, even though he spends the entire match trying to score. If the player focuses on the volume of crowd pressure on him, he will not be able to offer anything on the pitch. That is why after matches we sometimes cry because we feel the weight of the responsibility and pressure placed on us."
