5 things to know about Shikabala, the newly retired Zamalek legend

A new chapter closes in Zamalek's storied history. Mahmoud Abdelrazak Fadlallah, better known as "Shikabala," has officially announced his retirement through a video posted on his official Facebook account.

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Although he still had a year left on his contract, Shikabala chose to end his career at the age of 39. Here are five key things to know about the former Egyptian international.

• Born in Aswan on March 5, 1986, he began his career with Zamalek in 2002. Fittingly, he ends his journey at the same club after a stint from 2019 to 2025.

• He wore the colors of PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece) before returning to Cairo in 2006.

  

• Since then, he has had several loan spells with Al-Wasl (United Arab Emirates), Al-Raed (Saudi Arabia), and Apollon Smyrnis (Greece). He was also transferred to Sporting CP for one and a half seasons (January 2014 – August 2015) before returning home.
• Zamalek wasn't the only club he played for. He was loaned out to Ismaily for six months during the first half of the 2015-2016 season.
• Shikabala is one of the all-time top scorers for the White Knights, netting 70 goals and providing 89 assists in 396 appearances.
• He played 32 matches with the Egyptian national team, scoring twice. He featured at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and was included in the squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, although he didn't play any matches.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.