كتب : Omar AbdelAziz
This has to be number one for many reasons, most importantly out of respect for the man after which Egyptian football current talisman was named.
The majority of football fans in Egypt have no idea from where had the country’s current top footballer earned his nickname, while the rest hardly know anything about Mahmoud Abdul-Razek.
Former Zambian midfield star Webster Chikabala was the mystery man.
Chikabala was one of the brightest midfield talents of his generation, which included the likes of Zambian legend Kalusha Bwalya.
He played against Egypt in the 1-0 1992 CAN victory and represented Zambia in the 1988 Olympics, where Bwalya and Co. pulled off a famous 4-0 win over Italy.
Chikabala, the first Zambian to play in Portugal with Maritimo, died in 1998 due to AIDS-related illness aged 33.
2-Geddo
Probably the most pronounced name in Egypt during the month of February 2010, following his fairytale Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Angola.
Geddo, which means grandpa in slang Egyptian, was a nickname that stuck on Mohamed Nagi during his childhood because he was very attached to his grandfather.
3-Hommos
The Italians surely know this name back from June 2009 when the Ismaili midfielder gave Egypt a famous 1-0 victory over the Azzurri in the Confederations Cup in South Africa.
Like Geddo, Hommos earned his nickname during his infancy days because he used to dance in jubilation upon hearing the legendary Egyptian puppet show ‘Al-Leila Al-Kebira’, which included the song ‘Hommos Hommos !
4-Ahmed Hassan ‘Drogba’
Gouna striker Ahmed Hassan Farag must be more than proud to claim a nickname like this one.
With all due respect to Hassan’s finishing abilities, the former Ahli man was only labeled Drogba, after one of the deadliest strikers in the business, because of the lookalike factor!
5-Kamouna
A former Egypt and Ahli defender and a current youth team manager at the Cairo club, Samir Ibrahim got the nickname Kamouna, a type of spice, during his playing career.
Kamouna was one of the best defenders ever to fill in the sweeper position for Egypt and was a key figure in the Pharaohs 1998 Africa Cup of Nations triumph in Burkina Faso.
6-Felix
There are two ‘Felixes’ in the Egyptian Premier League in the meantime, Ahmed Felix of Petrojet and Mohamed Abd-Rabou Felix of Military Production.
The name has nothing to do with Felix the Cat though, as the credit goes to Ahli’s 90s Ghanaian star Felix Aboagye.
7-Shatta
Another Ahli defender to be named after a type of spice was Mohamed Abdul-Monem ‘Shatta’.
Apart from his unique nickname, the Sudanese-Egyptian, currently the technical director of CAF, was renowned for his Afro hairstyle and a trade-mark summersault celebration.
8-Koshari
The most famous traditional dish in Egypt was attached to former Ahli striker Ahmed Abdul-Monem during his earlier spell at Olympic of Alexandria.
Koshari is the current manager of Djibouti national team.
9-Afrortto
Mostafa Selim emerged as a star in the making during the 2009 Youth World Cup in Egypt, where his relatively-impressive displays lighted some of the gloom for the hosts’ poor campaign.
The livewire midfielder was named after the famous comic play Afrotto; derived from the Egyptian word ‘Afreet’, which means genie.
10-Boogi
This one is for the future. Ahmed Fathi ‘Boogi’ was also a member of Egypt’s 2009 Youth World Cup squad who introduced himself in a 4-2 win over Italy after coming off the bench to score twice.
Boogi is a famous cartoon character in Egypt from the ‘Boogi and Tamtam’ show.