(sometimes also written as Abou Trika or Aboutreika) (born November 7, 1978) is an egyptian footballer
Aboutrika plays as a second striker and attacking midfielder for Egyptian club al-ahly as well as the egyptian national football team


He helped Al-Ahly to get the bronze medal in fifa club world cup 2006 He also helped the Egyptian national team to win the african cup of nation 2006 and scored the winner to help Egypt win the 2008 tournament
Aboutrika's contribution came not only in finding the net but also in creating from his playmaking role behind the strikers His offensive skills were best demonstrated in his timing as he often chose the right moment to come forward for shots on goal

Aboutrika's career

2004
In the first part of Egyptian league 2003-2004 Aboutrika scored 3 goals for Tersana but demonstrated a high proficiency with his skills and killing passes
He was offered a position in Egypt's and one of Africa's top performing football teams Al Ahly He scored 11 goals in his first and only 13 appearances with Al Ahly in 2003-2004 league coming in the second place between top scorers in the Egyptian League with 14 goals
Since 2004 when he joined Al-Ahly club, Aboutrika scored 7 goals in Egypt Derby against al-zamalek 2 less than the record 9 goals by Al Ahly and El Zamalek giant and arguably Egypt's best ever striker hossam hassan He set a new record as no one has managed to score more than 7 goals except "Trika" and Touto While Hossam Hassan scored only 5 goals with Al-Ahly and 4 with Al-Zamalek
Aboutrika's efforts with Ahly since day one meant that he was given an Egyptian National Team position and he debuted against trinidad and tobago in a friendly match before the World Cup 2006 qualifiers on March 31 2004 in arab contractors stadium His National debut game ended 2-1 for the Egyptians He started as an attacker but was found to excel when he played his normal position behind the attackers in the midfield position Aboutrika scored his first national goal in this game He scored 5 goals in his first 6 appearances with Egypt


Aboutrika is a graduate of Cairo University with a bachelor of arts degree in Philosophy He is married and has twins, Ahmed and Seif
After winning the title of African Champions League 2006 for Al-Ahly, he gave a declaration which had been chosen by many newspapers and programs as 'The Declaration of the year'. When newspapers reporters praised him and his goal which they considered the main reason for winning the tournament, he replied, "We need to stop this habit of praising a definite player. It isn't Aboutrika, but the whole team who got the Cup. Without the others' efforts, I can't ever make anything. Football is a game played by many players it isn't Tennis or Squash."
Hassan El-Shazli, the former famous Egyptian player, was the first one to discover Aboutrika's talent and develop it. He narrates a story about Aboutrika's manners when he was in Tersana. He said that when the chairman of Tersana club want Aboutrika and a team-mate defender to sign their new contracts, he put a very high salary for Aboutrika compared to that of his team-mate, but Aboutrika refused to sign, and insisted to take the same salary as his team-mate although it was much lower. El-Shazli's attempts failed to persuade Aboutrika that his role for the club is much greater than this defender, and finally, Aboutrika insisted on equality and signed his contract as lower as his team-mate


As his soccer star status grew in Africa, he turned his sights to humanitarian issues. Aboutrika says:

“Every athlete has a humanitarian role in society. He doesn't live solely for himself, but for others too. I like to participate in charity work and try my best to help the poor and penniless. I'm also seeking to use soccer in humanitarian work


****d on that idea, Aboutrika joined UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors the Brazilian player Ronaldo, and French player, Zinedine Zidane, in addition to 40 international soccer stars in 2005 for a ‘Match Against Poverty’ in Germany, with the aim of raising funds and increasing awareness about the issue worldwide. He scored in that match

“In that humanitarian match, sports people said ‘no to poverty’ in one strong voice, standing up to beat it once and for all," Aboutrika explains. The match was held in Düsseldorf, Germany with the support of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association FIFA

One of Aboutrika’s soccer role models, is the Egyptian player, Mahmoud El Khatib. Meanwhile, off the pitch he follows the example of the Prophet Mohammed.[12]
He volunteered to appear in a WFP 30-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) in which he draws attention to the tragic fact that 25,000 people die from hunger every day, 18,000 of them children

“Hunger takes away a child every five seconds. We have to move immediately and lend each other a hand because every second counts. This is a game we have to win,” says Aboutrika in the PSA. The PSA is being aired on Middle Eastern TV stations which are broadcasting it for free.
Aboutrika is a WFP Ambassador Against Hunger. He believes that poverty is a double-edged sword, as it can either give rise to feelings of despair, or help the poor person to persevere and be determined. Aboutrika wishes that all those who suffer from despair could develop determination and face their difficulties with strength.
"Islam deals with the problem of poverty through zakat (spending a fixed portion of one's wealth for the poor or needy), where the rich feel the plight of the poor," says Aboutrika. "We have to help the poor as much as we can so that they don’t feel alienated in their own society" he says.[13]
Aboutrika volunteered for another PSA in Egypt, for helping children with cancer. He made it for free, and donated funds to help build a hospital for them

In January 2007, Aboutrika led the Blood Donation Campaign held by Egyptian Ministry of Health. He appeared in PSAs for free and donated with his blood



After scoring a goal in Egypt's 3-0 over Sudan in the 2008 African Cup of Nations Aboutrika removed his jersey to show a T-shirt reading "Sympathize with Gaza". He was protesting against Israel's 10-day blockade of Gaza. He was given a yellow card for breaking FIFA's rule against displaying political slogans during play, and was said to face possible further sanctions, but finally CAF made no punishments

Aboutrika initially did not want to discuss the issue, but he broke his silence and spoke exclusively Al Jazeera's Carrie Brown. He said that his action was a personal statement from himself, as he feels much sympathy for the children of Gaza Strip who are under siege, he feels sorry for their starving and suffering, and has many worries about their safety. Aboutrika affirmed for the Egyptian Football Federation that he is responsible for any problems appearing on surface

Some Arab commentators describes this yellow card as a 'honourable punishment' for any athlete. In Gaza, Palestinian people went out, raising Aboutrika's photos thanking him and appreciating his act. The same scene was replied after the final match, when Aboutrika scored the winning goal for Egypt, many Palestinians went out to celebrate the victory and singing for Aboutrika. Al-Hilal club in the Gaza Strip made an honouring ceremony for Aboutrika, where youth team players lift flags reading "Palestine loves Aboutrika", "Aboutrika is my idol", "Aboutrika, the humanitarian player..Gaza won't forget you" and "Aboutrika, an example of freedom and dignity". Youth team players were wearing Aboutrika's No22

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Honours

National Team
Winner of African Cup of NationsGhana 2008 playing for Egypt
Winner of African Cup of NationsEgypt 2006 playing for Egypt.

Club
Bronze Medalist at FIFA Club World Cup 2006
Winner of CAF Champions League (2005) , (2006) , (2008).
Winner of Egyptian League : (2004-2005) , (2005-2006) , (2006-2007) , (2007-2008),(2008-2009).
Winner of African Super Cup (2006), (2007), (2009).
Winner of Egyptian Soccer Cup (2006) , (2007).
Winner of Egyptian Super Cup (2005) , (2006) , (2007) , (2008).
Individual
Came 2nd in the 2008 CAF African Footballer of the Year award.
Nominated for the 2006 CAF African Footballer of the Year award.
Winner of the 2008 BBC African Footballer of the Year award
Nominated for the 2006 BBC African Footballer of the Year award
Winner of the 2008 CAF Best African player in Club Competitions
Winner of the 2006 CAF Best African player in Club Competitions
The World's most Popular Footballer amongst active Players in 2008 (IFFHS)
The World's most Popular Footballer amongst active Players in 2007 (IFFHS)
Top scorer in the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 with 3 goals.
Top scorer in the CAF Champions League 2006 with 8 goals.
Top scorer in the Egyptian League (2005-2006) with 18 goals.
Top scorer in the Egyptian Soccer Cup (2007) with 4 goals.
Best Player in Egypt (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008).
Named in the CAF Starting XI in the CAN Egypt 2006.
Named in the CAF Starting XI in the CAN Ghana 2008.
Named in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup dream team((top 11 player))
Man of the final match in the 2008
African Cup of Nations after scoring the winning goal.