Egyptian Mohamed Salah and Algerian Riyad Mahrez are the most important Arab stars absent from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Posted in: 05/11/2022 – 18:48

The Egyptian Mohamed Salah, the Algerian Riyad Mahrez and the Moroccan Tariq Tisodali … The Arab stars have always made the joys of their compatriots with their nationals, but they will be absent Qatar World Cup 2022 In football, due to injury or failure to qualify for the first edition to be held in an Arab region.

Salah and the curse of the laser

While the camera lenses were focused on the face of Mohamed SalahConfused by the green lasers, the Liverpool star threw a penalty on Senegal’s goal. The “Pharaohs” fell 1-3 after the draw with the two results of the first leg and the “Teranga Lions”.

Salah’s international failure did not affect his stardom with Liverpool, having capped his final season by renewing his contract until 2025, with a salary that made him the club’s highest paid.

Since joining Liverpool in the summer of 2017 from Italian Roma, Salah (30) has had a wonderful career, crowned by winning the English Premier League title for the first time in three decades of absence, in the Champions League and the Club. World Cup.

The son of the village of Najrej (122 km from Cairo), would like to participate as a player, but could be in Qatar during the World Cup, according to beIN Sports channels.

Salah scored a brace at the World Cup in Russia, following his participation in the famous shoulder injury against Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final.

Salah, who started his journey with Arab Contractors, has twice won the African Player of the Year award (2017 and 2018) and three times the Premier League top scorer.

Ekambi dispelled Mahrez’s dreams

In one of the most dramatic matches of the World Cup qualifiers, moments before the whistle for the end of the extended time, Cameroonian Karl Toko Ekambi dreams of Algerian Riyad Mahrez (31 years old), signing his second participation in the World Cup, after playing a few minutes against Belgium in the first round of the 2014 World Cup.

Mahrez, born in France, attracted the attention of Leicester City and led him to the Scudetto in 2016, only to crown him three times with Manchester City.

Mahrez led Algeria to win the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and in the same year he won the Continental Player of the Year and England Player of the Year 2016 awards.

Bin Nasser and the painful defeat

“This defeat is painful and will be difficult to forget, but we have to move on.”

With these words Ismael Bennacer mourned Algeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup last March, expressing the harsh feelings he “blindfolded” after two months by winning the Scudetto with Milan after an 11-year absence.

Ismael, born to a Moroccan father and Algerian mother and celebrating his 25th birthday in early December, launched his international participation in 2016, after playing 11 games with French U-18 and 19-year-old teams.

According to Ben Nasser, his father suggested playing football at the age of 16 with Frenchman Arles, despite his mother’s reservations.

Bennacer (two international goals in 40 games) went through a difficult path, during which he moved between Arsenal, the English U-23, and the second division Tour in France, until he moved to Empoli, in Italy .

But the turning point was his choice as the best player of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, which opened the doors to him to shine with the Rossoneri shirt.

Tisudale’s dreams vanish

The absence of Moroccan winger Tarek Tisoudali from the Qatar World Cup will have a significant impact on the attacking team of the “Atlas Lions” after suffering a serious knee injury that will leave him out of the game for at least six months.

Tisodali, 29, who broke his cruciate ligament in his knee during the match between Ghent and Saint-Trondin in the Belgian league, told of many vanished dreams: “I promise you I’ll come back stronger”.

The Amsterdam-born player moved on from French club Le Havre, who loaned him to three Dutch clubs, then wore the Belgian colors of Bershkot (2018-2021) before moving to Gent.

Tisodale participated in the last African Nations Cup under the guidance of former Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic, and scored two goals in the two decisive matches that qualified for the World Cup in Qatar against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mabkhout’s goals do not intercede

Emirate Ali Mabkhout’s 14 goals in qualifying did not help “Al-Abyad” qualify, so the heartbreak of the Asian playoff exit against Australia came with a fatal goal (2-1) within 6 minutes from the end.

In addition to his goals for the national team (80 in 108 games), Mabkhout, according to Abu Dhabi Sports Channels, has surpassed Arab scorers with a club, with 190 goals for his team Al-Jazira, overtaking former Saudi star Majed Abdullah (189 goals with Al-Nasr).

Since his debut with Al-Jazira in 2008, Mabkhout has won the league title three times and has been crowned the league’s top scorer twice.

At the national level, Mabkhout, 32, won the 2013 Gulf Cup, won the title of top scorer and third place in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, and was the top scorer in the 2014 and 2019 Gulf Cup.

Other Arab stars, such as the Egyptians Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal, England), Mustafa Mohamed (Nantes, France), the Moroccans Amran Loza (Watford, England), Adam Massina (Udinese, Italy) and the Algerians Rami Ben Sabaini (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany) and Youssef Blaili (Ajaccio, France) are absent from the World Cup in Qatar. ) …

France 24 / AFP