It’s quite incredible that Egypt, a country that made its World Cup debut in 1934, finally won their first match on the big stage on Sunday, ending an agonising 92-year wait.
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Mo Salah, the greatest Arab player in the history of football, grabbed the spotlight with his 67th goal in Egypt’s 3-1 come-from-behind victory over New Zealand.
Later, videos of the 34-year-old dancing with joy in the dressing room to celebrate the historic moment went viral.
But amid the euphoria over the football-obsessed country’s first win in a World Cup, there was this incredible story of Mostafa “Zico” Mohamed.
Unlike the dazzling Salah, Zico is a hard-working winger whose talent has never lured any European clubs to vie for his signature.
The 29-year-old was not even expected to be named in Egypt’s squad for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
A fringe player, Zico was all set to go for a summer vacation when a surprise call-up to the World Cup squad changed his plans.
Now, Zico has written a historic chapter in Egyptian football.
Having started the first game on the left flank against Belgium, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Zico found himself in the starting XI again for the second game.
But Finn Surman twisted the knife on the Egyptians with a 15th-minute goal for New Zealand.
Hossam Hassan’s team, though, refused to give up.
Dominating possession and launching waves of attacks, Egypt got the equaliser in the 58th minute with a crisp header from Zico.
Nine minutes later, Zico’s delightful one-two with Salah in the New Zealand penalty box set up the second goal as the Liverpool icon found the back of the net.
Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan, popularly known as Trézéguet, sealed the win for Egypt with his goal in the 82nd minute.
But the star of the show was Zico.
From preparing for a summer vacation in Egypt’s north coast to playing a starring role in his country’s historic win, Zico has turned his fortunes around in dramatic style.
“I was far away from the national team and honestly wasn’t expecting it,” the Pyramids FC forward said after the match.
“Coach Hossam Hassan brought me from the north coast. I was about to go on vacation, and suddenly I found myself at the World Cup.”
Remarkably, the unassuming winger was named after Brazilian legend Zico.
The fulcrum of the supremely talented Brazil teams in the 1980s, Zico was tipped to lead his country to glory in the 1982 World Cup.
Dubbed the ‘White Pele’ for his magnificent skills, eye for the goal, incredible vision and sumptuous free-kicks, Zico was a supreme playmaker who enthralled fans all over the world.
But winning the World Cup proved an impossible mission for Zico, who suffered heartbreak in 1982 in Spain and again in 1986 in Mexico.
Now an Egyptian player named after the Brazilian icon has made World Cup history of his own.
While the original Zico’s challenge was to emulate Pele, the Egyptian Zico surprisingly found himself in the thick of the action, playing a decisive role in his nation’s first World Cup match win.
Zico had also impressed in the pre-World Cup friendlies for Egypt, scoring against Russia and Brazil.
Now Egypt find themselves on top of Group G with four points from two matches, ahead of Iran and the star-studded Belgium.
All they need now is another solid performance against Iran in the last group game to advance to the knockout stages for the first time in history.
The World Cup has a history of producing underdog stories.
Zico will be hoping to deliver another strong performance on Saturday to take his team to the round of 32 and etch his name in public memory.
While the Brazilian Zico buckled under the weight of expectations on his shoulders, there was no pressure on Mostafa “Zico” Mohamed.
Yet, the unheralded footballer has now become one of the unlikely heroes of the World Cup in North America, having scrapped his summer vacation plans on the north coast of Egypt.
Source: Khaleej Times