Abdullah Al-Saeed, the star of Zamalek, sent a touching message to Mahmoud Abdel-Razek Shikabala after he announced his retirement from football.

Al-Saeed said on MBC Masr 2: "Shikabala is one of the most talented players I have seen in football, a player with great talent, and we all wished to play with him since we were young."

He added: "I am saddened that Egyptian football will lose a great star like him; he entertained us a lot, and I played with him for a year and a half, and he represents a great value to Zamalek fans, and I wish him success."

He continued: "I played with Shikabala a long time ago, and we are like brothers; he is one of the serious players."

He concluded: "The burden will be heavy on us after Shikabala's retirement because having someone from the same generation with you to share the load is different from being alone."