Egypt may have sent a small selection of players to England’s top flight division, but there is some serious talent among their numbers. A smaller intake generally means better quality, and that’s certainly been the case here.
So, who are the best Egyptian footballers to have featured in the Premier League?
Best Egyptian Players in the EPL History
Mohamed Salah
Striker Mo Salah has been such a success at Liverpool, that we forget this wasn’t his first Premier League club. The Egyptian international joined Chelsea from Basel in 2014, but couldn’t make an impact in west London and was sold to Roma two years later.
At Liverpool, it was a different story and few would argue against the suggestion that Salah is the best Egyptian to ever play in the Premier League. He arrived at Anfield in 2017 and scored 44 goals in his first full season with the club.
Mohamed Salah maintained his scoring levels and has won a host of team and personal honours in England. At the start of 2024, he’d won seven major trophies with Liverpool, including the Champions League and Premier League. Salah has also won the EPL Golden Boot on three occasions.
Mido
Another Egyptian striker, Mido, played for four English clubs during his career. His time at each one was brief, but he left an impression thanks to some stylish attacking play.
Mido first appeared in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur, who signed the forward from Roma in 2005. He made an instant impression, scoring two goals on his debut, but he couldn’t maintain those striking levels. He was later sold to Middlesbrough and also played for Wigan Athletic and West Ham United in the Premier League.
Across his English career, Mido scored 28 goals, and many of those were spectacular strikes.
Ahmed Elmohamady
Ahmed Elmohamady proved to be one of the longest-serving overseas players in English football, spending eleven years here. He played for three clubs, initially joining Sunderland from Mousa Sporting Club in 2010.
A reliable right back, Elmohamady rarely missed a game through injury, and those qualities attracted attention from other clubs. He joined Hull City in 2012, before finishing his professional career at Aston Villa.
Ahmed Elmohamady reached the 2014 FA Cup final with Hull, and he won the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt in 2008 and 2010.
Mohamed Elneny
Like his compatriot Mohamed Salah, Mohamed Elneny is an Egyptian player who can boast major honours from his time in England. While with Arsenal, the midfielder won the FA Cup in 2017.
Elneny plays in a defensive midfield position, just ahead of the back four, and he’s turned in some impressive performances with the Gunners. Despite that, the EPL club sent him on loan to Besiktas in 2019. He’s still on Arsenal’s books, but Mohamed Elneny is not a regular starter, so will he have further chances to shine in English football?
Trézéguet
An attacking player who was on the books of Aston Villa for three years, Trézéguet was part of the Villa team that reached the final of the EFL Cup in 2020. He showed great flair at times, but this was the highlight of his period in England.
Trézéguet played 64 games for Aston Villa, scoring nine goals. His record was better elsewhere, and he remains one of Egypt’s best players in recent years.
Ahmed Hegazi
Ahmed Hegazi spent four years at West Bromwich Albion, where he proved to be one of their most reliable players. A centre half, the Egyptian international joined the Baggies from Al Ahly in 2017, when the club were in the Premier League.
Hegazi played in all 38 games in that 2017/18 season. West Brom dropped down to the Championship, but the Egyptian was part of the squad that gained promotion back to the EPL in 2020.
Hossam Ghaly
Central midfielder Hossam Ghaly’s stay in the Premier League was brief, and English fans didn’t get to see the best of him. The Egyptian international joined Tottenham Hotspur from Feyenoord in 2006, after showing great promise in the Dutch top flight.
He displayed flashes of skill, but he couldn’t settle at Spurs and played just 36 games in three years. Ghaly also played 15 games for Derby County on loan in 2008. He was a talented player and one of Egypt’s finest, so it’s a shame that English football didn’t see Hossam Ghaly at his best.
Final Thoughts
When a country supplies just a few players to the top leagues around Europe, those clubs know that they are getting their nation’s finest talent. Not every Egyptian footballer on this list showed their best form in the Premier League, but they were among the top players in their country.
Right now, we look ahead and wonder what else Mohamed Salah can achieve here, while asking who will be among the next crop of Egyptian talent to play in the Premier League.