Mustafa Zico, the Egyptian national team player, revealed that he did not sleep the night of the matches against Australia and Argentina due to the pressures in the 2026 World Cup.
Mustafa Abdel Raouf Zico
Club: Pyramids
Zico scored two goals wearing the Egyptian national team jersey in the World Cup against New Zealand and Argentina during the journey that stopped at the round of 16.
Zico said about joining the Egyptian national team via On Sport: "I was suspended against Smouha in the last match of the season due to the accumulation of yellow cards, and I asked Jurchich for leave to travel more than once and he refused".
He added, "The fitness coach got upset with me because I was asking for leave and he believed I had to continue working to join the Egyptian national team".
He continued, "I got a two-day leave from the club, and while traveling I learned from my friend that I was in the list that included 27 players and I cried at the news of joining the national team squad, and I canceled the booking at the coast".
He revealed, "Hossam Hassan tried to sign me from Border Guards to Al-Masry in 2022 and I signed a blank contract to play under his leadership, but the deal did not go through and I moved at the end of the season to Z".
He explained what Hossam Hassan asked of him, saying: "Hossam Hassan told me that he needs me to play in the 4 attacking positions, during the match against Argentina he asked me to play as a third midfielder alongside Marwan and Mohand".
He concluded, "I played the match against Australia 'while stressed' because of the pressure, and I spoke with the national team doctor because I did not know how to sleep due to thinking about the match, and I slept only one hour before the match against Argentina".
Zico played 7 matches wearing the Egyptian national team jersey since joining under the leadership of Hossam Hassan, during which he scored 4 goals: one against Russia, another against Brazil, then New Zealand and Argentina in the 2026 World Cup.
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Oh God our country God 😍Zico doubles the score in Argentina's net ⚽🇪🇬pic.twitter.com/AZaRPDhV05@FilGoal
