Egypt legend Essam El Hadary announces his retirement from football

Essam El Hadary Egypt's legendary goalkeeper has announced his retirement from football with immediate effect at age 47 on a live television show on Thursday saying "football is his second wife and he has divorced it."

The celebrated shot-stopper decided to call it quits at the international level in 2019 after he was snubbed for the Africa Cup of Nations. El Hadary had officially announced his international retirement on August 6th, 2018.

However on Sunday, January 27th, 2019, He revealed to ON Sport’s Seif Zaher, that he’s no longer committing to his international retirement decision. El-Hadary earned the last of his 159 caps for the national team in a 2-1 group stage defeat by Saudi Arabia as Egypt crashed out of the 2018 World Cup tournament with three losses.

El Hadary has made over 150 international appearances for his nation since his debut in 1996.

"Football is my second wife and I have divorced it. I am not returning to play football again, the entire system has errors and club heads attacking each other, and may God be in the help of the players." El Hadary said.

"There is nothing to add to my footballing history. There is no goalkeeper in Egypt better than me. I only sat on the bench in 1998 for goalkeeper Nader El-Sayed." he added.

“After 22 years, four months and 12 days, I saw it as the best moment to hang up my gloves,” El-Hadary said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. He has won the Africa Cup of Nations four times and was named the tournament's best goalkeeper on three occasions.

At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, at the age of 45 years and 161 days, he became the oldest player in history to play in a World Cup match.

The veteran overtook Colombia’s Faryd Mondragn, who played the last five minutes of a group game in Brazil four years ago, at the age of 43 years and three days.

El Hadary spent the largest portion of his club career with giants Al Ahly SC from 1996 to 2008 where he won eight Egyptian Premier League titles, four Egypt Cups, four Egyptian Super Cups, three CAF Champions League titles, three CAF Super Cups, one Arab Club Champions Cup, and two Arab Super Cups.

He also played for FC Sion in Switzerland where he won the Swiss Cup with them.

El Hadary had spells at Sudanese giants El Merreikh SC, Al Taawon in Saudi Arabia, Ismaily SC, Wadi Degla SC, Zamalek SC, Ittihad Alexandria, and Nogoom FC.