‘I helped Spurs break 16-year Chelsea curse – now I’m an MP after hanging up my boots’
Talk about making a drastic career change after hanging up one’s boots.
2018 saw the end of former Tottenham player Hossam Ghaly’s 18-year professional football career. He then entered politics. The former Egypt international, who played 70 caps, is also seeking to create a different type of history after contributing to one of the most important Spurs outcomes of the twenty-first century.
In November of 2006, Ghaly experienced the rivalry between Tottenham and Chelsea for the first time after moving from Feyenoord to Tottenham in January of the same year. And he turned out to be an instant charm of good fortune as Spurs broke their 16-year losing streak in the match.
At White Hart Lane, Ghaly played the entire ninety minutes as Martin Jol’s team overcame a 2-1 deficit to win due to a second-half goal from Aaron Lennon. And after the west Londoners dominated for more than 15 years, it outcome spurred a more competitive era between the two sides.
Regarding Ghaly, that Premier League victory ended up being his lone victory in five encounters with Chelsea. He did, however, score against the Blues when the rivals faced off again in the FA Cup sixth round the following season.
Ghaly’s goal gave Spurs a 3-1 lead at Stamford Bridge in March 2007, but Chelsea responded to force a replay at White Hart Lane. Unable to be stopped a second time, Jose Mourinho’s team won the match and completed a domestic double that year. Ghaly left Spurs in 2009 and played for Belgian club Lierse and Al-Nassr, the current Saudi employers of Cristiano Ronaldo, before retiring at his boyhood club Al Ahly. He was later elected to the club’s board before taking a seat in the House of Representatives in Egypt.
He previously said to the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, “Perhaps my lack of expertise contributed to my unfavorable appearance. Birmingham made me an offer, but I turned it down because I didn’t think it was the right moment for me.”
It’s said Ghaly didn’t transfer to St. Andrews because then-manager Steve Bruce questioned his fitness levels. He continued: “This was worse than what I did at Tottenham because a move to Birmingham could have helped me re-launch my career [in the Premier League].”
