Mahmoud Abdel -Razek, “Shikabala”, former leader of Zamalek, launched influential messages on a night of his farewell to the green rectangle, confirming that his decision to retire came from a complete conviction, without any external pressures, after a march that spanned more than two decades in the white shirt, concluding it with exceptional masses and fans.
The decision to retire without pressure
Shikabala said that his retirement decision was for a long time, although his contract with Zamalek was still extending to an additional season. He explained that the star Ahmed Hossam “Mido” visited him specifically to check that the decision stems from his full will and not the result of any administrative or mass pressure.
The postponement of the advertisement for Abdul Shafi
Shikabala revealed that he was intending to announce his retirement at the end of the season, but he preferred to postpone the step until his colleague Mohamed Abdel Shafi was granted a decent honor in the Egypt Cup final, considering that “Shevo” deserves a farewell moment worthy of what he presented to the club.
Love of the masses and the right time
Despite repeated demands from Zamalek lovers for an additional year, the “Al -Fahd Al -Asmar” confirmed that he felt that the moment was appropriate to stop, and that the love of the masses would not change after the retirement, adding: “I know that the Zamalek fans will continue to put me in his heart, as I will always put them in the foreground.”
A message to Zizou
Shikabala explained that he was planning to hand over the leadership badge to Ahmed Mustafa “Zizou”, but that the latter’s transfer to Al -Ahly left a great psychological impact on him, making him unable to shake hands with the first return of training. Despite his grief, he stressed that he had a great love for Azizo, but he believes that the Zamalek fans are entitled to carry the banner of the club.
Eternal stations in the march
Shikabala was born on March 5, 1986 in the village of “Al -Husaya” in Aswan, and began his journey with Zamalek at the age of 15 and 8 months only, to become one of the youngest players who joined the first team. With Zamalek, he achieved 4 league championships (2003, 2004, 2021, 2022), 5 Egypt Cup championships, 2 African Super, and a local super, along with the Confederation 2024 title. It was also crowned with the Egyptian national team with the 2010 African Nations Cup, the 2007 Military World Cup, the Nile Basin 2011, and participated in the 2018 World Cup.
A stable family life
In December 2017, he announced his sermon from “Sarah”, an Egyptian Canadian girl, then they got married on August 19, 2018 in one of the Fifth Settlement mosques, and two children were provided with: “Adam” in December 2019, and “Noah” later, to complete his sporting journey with a stable family life.
