Ali Ghazal

Ali Ahmed Ali Mohamed Ghazal (Arabic: علي أحمد علي محمد غزال; born 1 February 1992) is an Egyptian former professional footballer who last played as a defensive midfielder or as a centre back for Wadi Degla. He made 11 appearances for the Egypt national team between 2014 and 2019. He began his career as a youth player with El Sekka El Hadid before joining Wadi Degla in 2006. In 2013, despite having not played a senior game, he was sold to Portuguese club Nacional where he made his professional debut. After establishing himself in the first team, he was later named captain of the club, becoming the first Egyptian player to captain a top-tier European team. He joined Chinese side Guizhou Zhicheng in 2017 but changes to the league's foreign player quota resulted in him never playing a league match and his contract was cancelled by mutual consent. Following his release, he joined Vancouver in 2017, helping the side reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in his first season. In May 2013, Ghazal was called up to the Egypt national team, making his international debut a year later.