Egypt national team goalkeeper Mustafa Shobier expressed his pride in President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's honoring of the team.
Mustafa Shobier
Club: Al Ahly
Shobier denied renewing his contract with Al Ahly three times previously, as had been circulated in the media earlier.
Shobier said on Al Nahar channel: "We were surprised by the fans' reaction in Egypt after the matches that were played late, and we did not know the extent of the interaction at first and did not expect that".
He revealed, "We were pleased with President el-Sisi's honoring and the fans' reception of us in Alamein and Cairo Stadium, and we felt that they wanted to share the joy with us".
He added, "His Excellency President el-Sisi's reception of us was wonderful for us, and we felt great pride and honor. We saw the president's happiness in dealing with us, which pleased us. He did not suffice with the honoring or medals only, but hosted us for a meal and gave the players the opportunity to talk with him".
Shobier stressed, "But for me, it is still just the beginning, and I must not deceive myself otherwise or be content with what we have achieved".
Regarding professionalism and staying with Al Ahly, he replied, "Professionalism is the dream of any player in the world. There is a contract with Al Ahly Club, and besides the contract, there is a strong personal relationship for me since I was six years old, in addition to the club's favor to my family. I will not leave except with Al Ahly's approval. When an official offer arrives, I will discuss it with the club at that time".
He continued, "It was said that I renewed my contract three times before, and this is not true. I have been receiving the same contract since 2021 after renewing with Amir Tawfik for six years, and I learned the value of the contract at that time".
He clarified, "I do not like the phrase (signing in blank). I am an Al Ahly fan before being a player at the club. If I agree on the contract value with the club and then sign, that does not become signing in blank".
He added, "I trained for a long time with Ahmed Tarek Suleiman, who is a very, very good goalkeeper. At the beginning, I faced great pressure and criticisms that I did not understand at the time. I was excluded from the Olympic team, and it was said that I requested the exclusion to spare the technical staff embarrassment, although I did not make any decision".
Shobier revealed, "Accusing me of being the son of officials created pressures and motivations inside me that made me stronger. Certainly, my father's big name helped me. The reason I do not like the video (I will show you that the minister's son is a swimmer) is that I was speaking in a challenging tone and I do not like that, but I was young at the time".
He continued, "I used to go to training at Al Ahly alone without my family because the journey was far from home. But at the same time, there were others coming from much farther places, and I had the advantage that my father's driver used to take me to training every day".
Regarding the stars' talk about him, he replied, "I am very happy and proud of the stars' statements about me and my ability to turn professional, including Essam El-Hadary, the best goalkeeper in Egypt's history, who recently spoke a lot about me positively".
He revealed, "I met El-Hadary in one of the places, and he pointed out some observations to me. He was always in contact and talking with me, and he always supported me strongly and gave me important advice".
Shobier concluded his statements, "My mother's role is very big in my career. She provided me with great protection from my first day, which made a big difference for me".
Egypt reached the round of 16 in the World Cup for the first time in history before being eliminated from the tournament after losing to Argentina by three goals to two.
