Journey from Investigative Reporting to Football Journalism
I started in journalism back in 2011, not in the press box but in the trenches of investigative reporting. Long days, longer documents, and stories that demanded patience. That work sharpened my eye for detail, taught me how to pull at loose threads, and gave me the kind of analytical backbone every serious reporter needs.
But the game kept calling.
Football had always been the first love, the one that never really left. So, step by step, I moved from investigations to the touchline, turning that discipline and curiosity toward the sport that had shaped my life. I began covering Egyptian national teams across all age groups, then widened the lens to follow the global game and its biggest narratives. Youth tournaments, senior showdowns, rising talents, fading legends — the full spectrum.
The roots go deeper than the notebook and press pass. My connection with football started on the grass, not in the stands. I played for the youth teams of several Egyptian clubs, learning the game from inside the dressing room and on unforgiving training pitches. Those years gave me more than memories; they built an instinctive feel for tempo, space, and pressure — the things that never fully show up on a stats sheet but decide matches all the same.
As a fan, the journey stretches back to the 1998 FIFA World Cup, a tournament that opened the door to the wider world of football while my heart stayed anchored in Egyptian domestic fields. The television screen was never enough. I followed Zamalek from the stands, week after week, season after season, in a stadium atmosphere that could swing from euphoria to despair in a single move. One of the most successful clubs of the 20th century, Zamalek is not just a badge to me; it’s a thread running through my life in football.
Europe brought another obsession: AC Milan. The attraction wasn’t random. It was built on the elegance and steel of icons like George Weah, Paolo Maldini, Gennaro Gattuso, Kaká, Andrea Pirlo, Ronaldinho, and Clarence Seedorf. Watching that team meant watching a club that understood both artistry and grit. It also shaped how I viewed the wider European landscape, especially El Clásico. I could sit back and enjoy the chaos between Real Madrid and Barcelona without being dragged into the endless tribal arguments, appreciating the rivalry for what it is: two footballing ideologies colliding on the biggest stage.
One night still stands above all others. Athens, 2007. AC Milan against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final. It wasn’t just a match; it was a reckoning after Istanbul 2005. Filippo Inzaghi’s brace delivered redemption and rewrote a painful chapter. For me, that final remains the clearest reminder of why football is a sport of second chances and unforgettable stories.
Professionally, I’ve been fortunate to work with two of the Middle East’s leading sports platforms, Kooora and GOAL.com. Those roles pushed me across Arab and international football, from local derbies to continental finals, and forced me to adapt to different forms of digital storytelling. Match reports, features, analysis pieces, interviews — each format demanded a different rhythm, a different angle, and a sharper voice.
In 2022, I took an important step when I became a member of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, formal recognition of a journey that had started more than a decade earlier. It was a milestone, but not a finish line.
January 2026 brought another turning point: a move to the English-language edition of GOAL.com. That shift opened a wider stage and a broader audience, challenging me to bring Arab and international football stories to readers around the world in a different language, without losing the emotion and detail that make this sport unique.
From youth pitches in Egypt to Champions League nights and global coverage, the path has always led back to the same place: telling the stories that prove, again and again, why football is the world’s game.
