Mahmoud Fathalla

Mahmoud Fathalla
Personal information
Full name	Mahmoud Fathalla Abdo El-Henawy; (Arabic:محمود فتح الله عبده الحناوي)
Date of birth	February 12, 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	Dakahlia , Egypt
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Tala'ea El-Gaish SC
Number	20
Senior career*
Years	Team
2004–2007	Ghazl El-Mehalla
2007–2014	Al-Zamalek
2014-	El-Gaish
International career‡
2005–	Egypt
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10/6/2012

Mahmoud Fathalla (Template:Lang-ar) (born 12 February 1982) is an Egyptian footballer who lastly played for Zamalek SC and currently plays for El-Gaish.

Career

Central defender Mahmoud Fathala has managed the impressive feat of earning a regular starting place for the Egyptian national team despite playing his club football for relatively modest Egyptian top-flight outfit Ghazl Al-Mehalla.

Fathala first began making waves on the national-team scene after being selected for Egypt's U-23 side, before breaking into the Pharaohs' senior squad for the first time three years ago under the command of Hassan Shehata. Fathala is also able to play as a roving sweeper, with many considering his best performance in an Egyptian shirt to have come at the CAF African Cup of Nations in Ghana in 2008. There he was deployed alongside fellow defenders Wael Gomaa and Hani Said in a 3-5-2 formation as Egypt won their sixth Cup of Nations crown.

On his return from Ghana he made the switch to current club Zamalek after turning down a move to French side Paris Saint-Germain. An excellent man-marker, Fathala's positional sense and reading of the game offset his lack of pace. He is also a player to watch out for at set pieces, having scored a host of goals at club level thanks to his powerful aerial ability.

In 2010, Fathalla has been linked to Zamalek rivals, Al-Ahly. But He denied the rumors and stated that he will never play for Al-Ahly.

On Sunday December 5, 2010 after 6 months of negotiations Fathalla signed a four-year contract with Zamalek ending all speculation about his future.

In August 2014, the defender joined El Gaish on a free transfer.

International career

Fathalla is now from the pillars of Egypt national football team, he has played in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments for Egypt, winning the tournament two times, in 2008 and 2010.^[1]

International goals

Correct as of 1 June 2012^[update]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	September 3, 2010	Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt	Sierra Leone	1 – 1	1 – 1	2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2.	June 1, 2012	Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt	Mozambique	1 – 0	2 – 0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification