African Football Stories
HISTORY OF AFRICAN FOOTBALL SERIES.
2. MAHMOUD AL-GOHARY
The notion that flies around that ‘it is sometimes not about length and duration but more about impact’ comes to play in the story of Mahmoud Al-Gohary.
Egyptian former player and coach, born in 1938 and died in 2012. One of only two people in the whole of Africa to have won the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and later as a coach.
Putting it this way, it can be long and meaningless but it can also be short and impactful.
The career of Al-Gohary was relatively short but filled with impact.
A look at Al-Gohary’s career in numbers.
- Born in 1938
- Started playing elite football as a pro from 1955 (age 17)
- Made his national team debut in 1958 (age 20)
- Won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 1961 (age 23)
- Retired from playing football in 1961 (age 23) after a persistent knee injury.
- Became first team coach at Al Itihad of Saudi Arabia in 1981 (age 43)
- Won the Saudi Premier League as coach of Al Itihad in 1981
- Became coach of Al Ahly Egypt in 1982
- Won various titles – Egyptian League, African Cup of Champions Clubs, African Cup of Cup Winners as manager of Al Ahly Cairo
- Became national team coach of Egypt in 1988
- Qualified Egypt for the 1990 World Cup in Italy for their first time after trying for 58 years.
- One of few coaches that managed both Cairo rivals – Al Ahly (in 4 spells) and Zamalek – leading both teams to various championship titles domestically and internationally.
- Returned to coach Egypt’s national team in 1997.
- Won the Africa Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso as manager in 1998.
- Became coach of Jordan in 2001 and left in 2007.
- Died 31 August 2012 in Jordan.
- A proud Egyptian with a great record as a manager. Never to be forgotten. Will be 9 years since he passed away very soon. A legend of the game