How did Haitham Hassan become the talk of the football world after his remarkable performance against Argentina?

Image caption, Observers believe Haitham Hassan is 'capable' of succeeding Mohamed Salah

Published 10 July 2026, 17:10 GMT

Last updated 7 minutes ago

Reading time: 3 minutes

The match between Egypt and Argentina in the Round of 16 of the current World Cup sparked controversy in the football world, the echoes of which may not fade soon.

As Egypt exited the tournament, the name of its right winger Haitham Hassan emerged as a star who caught attention with a superb technical level displayed in the match, where he created a goal and contributed to another, only for it to be quickly disallowed by the refereeing team.

This disallowed goal, which capped an individual journey by the dark-skinned player with remarkable skill and determination, was described by some as one of the most beautiful goals in World Cup history.

Haitham Hassan, 24 years old, had the right to play for three national teams: Egypt, France, and Tunisia.

As for Egypt, because his father is Egyptian from Nubia in the far south of the country, and his father was a former player at the Shabab Island Aswan center.

As for Tunisia, because the player's mother is Tunisian. As for France, it is Haitham's birthplace, where he grew up and played on pitches as a child, and where he made his name as the youngest player to participate in the French league at age 16.

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Image caption, Haitham Hassan drew admiration from around the world through the way he managed to penetrate Argentina's defense

Haitham Hassan played for the French U-17 national team before finally joining the Egyptian national team last March.

Although he only played in the last two of the five total matches Egypt played in this edition of the World Cup, Hassan managed to draw attention in the Australia match as a player capable of changing the game and disrupting the opponent, thus securing himself a place in the most important match for the Egyptian national team ever.

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After his performance in the Argentina match, Haitham Hassan became the talk of the Egyptian and Arab football scene and a target for European clubs during the summer transfer window.

This despite statistics not being in the player's favor according to analysts, as he did not score goals for the Egyptian national team or even for his Spanish club during the 2025/26 season, despite winning the club's best player award.

Player statistics show he made three assists in 37 appearances last season.

Haitham Hassan's scoring rate is 0.08 goals per 90 minutes according to the football data site 'FBref'.

Nevertheless, Haitham Hassan gained the love of Oviedo fans, who nicknamed him 'Josen', meaning 'sacred heart', and is linked to the history of the city in northwestern Spain.

Haitham Hassan is under contract until summer 2027 with Spanish club Real Oviedo, which he joined in summer 2024; the contract includes a release clause of £16 million, but this value dropped to £10 million - according to reports - with the club's relegation to the second division.

Image caption, Haitham Hassan's performance in the Egypt-Australia match in the Round of 32 secured him a place in the Egypt-Argentina match in the Round of 16

The market value of Haitham Hassan is approximately $3.99 million, according to Transfermarkt.

Scottish club Celtic has shown interest in signing the player, according to press reports, along with speculation of a move to English club Liverpool to play in the same position where Egyptian Mohamed Salah previously excelled.

Reports also indicated interest from Turkish club Trabzonspor and several Saudi clubs in signing the player of Egyptian origin.

Observers believe that Haitham Hassan, the right winger who plays with his left foot, is 'capable of succeeding Mohamed Salah' in terms of skills like running with the ball at high speed, dribbling in tight spaces near the touchline, delivering crosses, and opening up the pitch.

In this regard, the British site Football Insider says: 'The Real Oviedo winger drew gasps of admiration from the world through the way he broke through Argentina's defense, which had long seemed impenetrable and resistant to attackers.'

And while Haitham Hassan still lacks numbers and statistics, his performance in the Argentina match sufficiently demonstrated the player's ability and determination to achieve what he currently lacks.

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