Egypt and Ahli stalwart Abou-Treika, 31, has been frequently criticized this season for his poor fitness and notable drop in form.

But Barakat, another Ahli veteran who faced similar criticism, said some pundits tend to be a bit irrational while assessing experienced players.

"Talking about me and Abou-Treika like that will soon be over," the 33-year-old, who hit a last-gasp winner in Ahli's 3-2 league win over ENPPI on Thursday, told Egyptian radio.

"Some people just say we should retire without thinking much about it.

"I don't get negatively affected by this kind of remarks and I don't even listen to those critics."

After Ahli were ousted from the CAF Champions League semi-finals at the hands of Esperance, a good number of pundits put their loss down to the existence of 'ageing players' in the Red Devils squad.

The likes of Abou-Treika, Barakat and Wael Gomaa were singled out.

Not the Problem

Sayed Moawad, who has just recovered from a calf injury, echoed Barakat's sentiment.

"Ahli's performance against ENPPI proves that Abou-Treika is not the problem," the left winger stated.

Classy playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika was kept on the bench for 'technical reasons' as the Cairo giants played with a three-pronged attack featured Geddo, Barakat and Liberian Francis Doe.

However, their display was far from impressive.

During the game, Ahli supporters backed Abou-Treika by lifting a banner that read: "For those who want Abou-Treika to retire - there is an ordinary player born everyday but Abou-Treika is a legendary figure."