Sherif Ekramy, the former goalkeeper of Al Ahly and Pyramids, explained that he retired at the right time, and chose the most difficult match he went through in his career.
Sherif Ekramy
Club: Retired
Pyramids goalkeeper Ekramy announced his retirement from football after a career that lasted more than 30 years. (See details)
Ekramy said via On Sport: "I felt that the current time is appropriate to announce my retirement, I felt that my passion for the ball has become less and that camps and training have become exhausting and therefore I made my decision".
He added, "I achieved everything I wanted at Al Ahly, I wanted to participate more and achieved record numbers, and when I felt that the time had come, I decided to retire".
He continued, "I went through many bumps from my childhood until professionalism and returning to Al Ahly, and the most difficult moment is my decision to retire because I was very grateful to it for what I reached during my career".
He chose the most difficult matches in his career, saying: "The Al Ahly match against Al Masry in 2012 is one of the most difficult things I went through in my life, and with the Egyptian national team, the match against Ghana and the 6-1 loss, and the difficulty of the match was that expectations were high because we achieved a perfect record in the previous stage, and that match will not be repeated because the entire team was unlucky".
He revealed why he was substituted in the Ghana match: "I was injured in the Ghana match due to a bruise in the inner ligament of the knee during a clash with Hossam Ghaly in the goal scene, and I completed the half and asked for a substitution after conceding the fourth goal".
He continued, "After returning to Cairo, I received a painkiller injection to play the Al Ahly match against Cameroonian Cotton in the Champions League and contributed to qualifying the team for the final at that time".
He added, "I felt sad because of my injury during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, especially since the training was very light, and the matter was a question mark for me".
He concluded, "My journey with Al Ahly ended at the right time".
He explained, "I do not know what will happen in the future after retirement, I am interested in media and management but I do not rush the position, and I do not think about coaching".
He stressed, "I want to succeed in the position I will assume but I do not know what it is yet, I need time to get the required rest after a long career that lasted 30 years".
Ekramy won 8 Egyptian League titles with Al Ahly, the Dutch Cup with Feyenoord, 5 Egyptian Super Cup titles, 3 Egypt Cups 2 with Al Ahly and one with Pyramids, 4 African Champions League titles 3 with Al Ahly and one with Pyramids, two African Super Cups with Al Ahly, and the Confederation Cup with Al Ahly.
Ekramy played 371 matches as a goalkeeper in his career, conceding 280 goals and keeping a clean sheet in 166 matches.
