Summary: The question remains, how can you attract a player who was raised in Europe and is waiting for a call-up from the national team of the country he lived in? Sports critic Hussein Hamdi answers that dual-nationality players not only look at the opportunity to participate, but also at the clarity of the technical project, stability, and the way they are treated. He confirmed that there are challenges in attracting these players, most notably competition with European federations that have great capabilities, the need to communicate with players at an early age, and the importance of building trust with the player and his family and clarifying his role within the national team.

The brilliance of player Heithem Hassan with the Egyptian national team in the World Cup raised many questions about Egypt's delay in prospecting its buried talents in Europe, among dual-nationality players, who are waiting for someone to search for them and give them the opportunity to represent the Egyptian national teams, similar to what Morocco has done in recent years, which made it one of the great powers in football during the last two editions of the World Cup.

Hassan, born in France to an Egyptian father and a Tunisian mother, holding the nationalities of all three countries, delivered a remarkable performance during the World Cup, especially in the match against Argentina, as the Real Oviedo player presented himself as one of the tournament's biggest surprises with his decisive touches, courage in big encounters, and ability to change the course of matches in moments.

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The issue of dual-nationality players is not new to the Egyptian football scene, but for the first time a player from the second generation of Egyptians in Europe has emerged achieving success with the national team, especially since Heithem Hassan previously represented the France U17 national team, and was contacted by the Tunisian Football Federation, but he chose to represent the Pharaohs.

Committee to search for talents

After years of individual attempts to highlight Egyptian talents abroad, the first move came from the Football Association in July 2025, by forming a committee for professional player affairs, whose tasks include continuous search for dual-nationality professional players, eventually creating a comprehensive database for them, and official communication with them to convince them to represent Egyptian national teams across different age groups.

However, the committee lasted only a few months, as it was disbanded after submitting a database containing more than 70 Egyptian players in leagues around the world, from different age groups, whom the committee deemed qualified to join the Egyptian national teams.

The media coordinator of the Egypt youth national team, Mohamed El-Sayed, told 'Independent Arabia' that more than one player was recruited for more than one team, whether the 2005 team or the 2009 team, which included player Amir Abou El-Ezz, the Italian Monza player who holds three nationalities: Egyptian, Italian, and Ukrainian, and has already participated in the African U-20 Cup of Nations. He added that there are 15 players who came to the youth teams, specifically the U17 team, but only two players stood out: Amir Abou El-Ezz and Ziad El-Qasbi.

El-Sayed, a journalist and sports critic, added that this committee will be re-formed again in the coming period, in order to activate its role clearly, and begin communicating with players in Europe, inviting them to national team camps and seeing them on the ground.

Egypt national team coach Hossam Hassan asked his assistants for a report on Egyptian players abroad (Reuters)

Local press reports stated that Egypt national team coach Hossam Hassan asked his assistants for a report on Egyptian players abroad, especially that he is currently following eight players: Thibaut Gabriel, Mainz midfielder; Salim Talib, Hertha Berlin player; Omar Abdelmajid, Hamburg defender in Germany; Radouane Hamzaoui, Auxerre player; Amir Abou El-Ezz, Monaco player in France; Karim Ahmed, Liverpool English player; Bilal Moussa, Zwolle defender; and Reda Bakir, Ajax player in the Netherlands.

The media ambassador for the Spanish league and sports critic, Ahmed Atta, believes that the emergence of a model like Heithem Hassan is unlikely soon, because there is currently no prominent Egyptian player in a major league who has not joined the national team. He added to 'Independent Arabia' that the second and third generations of Egyptians abroad have produced prominent talents, and in the coming years we will certainly witness more than one 'Heithem Hassan' in the Egyptian national team.

The committee included a number of media figures and those interested in searching for Egyptian talents abroad, including Wassim Ahmed, one of the most prominent who opened the file of dual-nationality players since 2008, and he is considered the discoverer of Heithem Hassan as he began communicating with him in 2019, and succeeded in gaining his trust and that of his father, until he managed to convince the player to play for Egypt despite competition from the Tunisian national team.

Previous experiences

Heithem Hassan was not the only player that Wassim Ahmed succeeded in introducing to the national team; he was preceded by midfielder Sam Morsy, who also holds British nationality, and participated with Egypt in the 2018 World Cup.

Sam Morsy's experience with the Egyptian national team was not long or stable, but it remains one of the most prominent models of dual-nationality players who tried to impose themselves in the Pharaohs' ranks, without receiving sufficient continuity. Sam Morsy joined the Egyptian national team for the first time in August 2016 during the tenure of Argentine coach Héctor Cúper, where he played his first international match in a friendly.

Morsy participated in only nine international matches wearing the Egypt shirt, without scoring or assisting, despite his continued strong performances in the English Premier League, especially with Ipswich Town, but that did not sufficiently reflect on his international opportunities.

Morsy faced one of the most prominent crises of dual-nationality players: the lack of trust and continuity with changing technical staff. Even the player himself indicated that not being called up for long periods was an indication that he was out of the Pharaohs' technical staff plans. Despite the marginalization, Morsy did not close the door on the national team, but repeatedly affirmed that representing Egypt was a big dream for him.

From the English Premier League as well, defender Adam El-Abd, born in England to an Egyptian father and an English mother, joined the Egyptian national team in 2012 after completing procedures to obtain Egyptian citizenship, making him available for international participation with the first team. His call-up came at a time when the national team was looking to strengthen its ranks with professional elements in Europe.

Heithem Hassan delivered a remarkable performance during the World Cup with the Egyptian national team, especially the Argentina match (Reuters)

The former Brighton defender played his first international match against Cameroon, and began learning Arabic to facilitate communication with his teammates and the technical staff. Despite the great enthusiasm that accompanied his joining, El-Abd did not get many opportunities to fully prove himself within the national team, given the strong competition in the center-back position, along with some challenges related to adaptation and different playing styles.