El-Hadary Advises El-Shenawy to Retire After the 2026 World Cup

Essam El-Hadary, the legendary goalkeeper in Egyptian football, sparked widespread controversy after his statements in which he directly advised Mohamed El-Shenawy, the goalkeeper for Al Ahly and the Egyptian national team, to end his football career after participating in the 2026 World Cup.

The Egyptian national team is preparing to compete in the upcoming World Cup, where the draw has placed them in a group with Belgium, New Zealand, and Iran. This marks the Pharaohs' fourth participation in the history of the World Cup.

Amidst the strong competition between El-Shenawy and his colleague Mostafa Shobeir for the position of the main goalkeeper, especially with the coaching staff relying on Shobeir in some recent matches, the debate has intensified over who will be the first-choice goalkeeper in the upcoming phase.

In media statements, El-Hadary clarified his stance on this matter, confirming that Mostafa Shobeir is the frontrunner to lead the national team's goalkeeping in the opening matches of the World Cup, as well as in the friendly matches against Russia and Brazil.

Al-Hadari clarified that this evaluation does not come out of nowhere, but is based on the exceptional technical level that Shobeir has recently demonstrated, whether with Al-Ahly in the league or during his participations with the national team in preparatory matches, noting that technical stability gives him an advantage at the moment.

In a related context, the media personality Saif Zaher posed a hypothetical question to El-Hadary about what his stance would be if he were in El-Shenawy's position of losing his starting spot. The "High Dam" responded decisively, affirming that he would have immediately decided to retire.

Al-Hadary emphasized that a goalkeeper who reaches the peak of their career and participates in a tournament as significant as the World Cup should secure their starting position; otherwise, ending their international career becomes a logical option from his perspective.