Player Profile: Omar Gaber

Name: Omar Gaber
Date of Birth: January 30, 1992
Height: 1.74 m (5 ft 8 in)
Nationality: Egyptian
Current Club: Zamalek
Position: Right Wing Back, Central Midfielder
Foot: Right

Omar Gaber is an explosive right-footed dynamo who doesn’t think twice when it comes to taking on a player or two with his immense speed and handy set of skills. For all his attributes,  he’s often regarded as one of Egypt’s brightest talents.

Background

The 20-year-old defender is a product of the continual academy of Zamalek SC. Gaber left a positive impression on Egypt legend Hossam Hassan, Zamalek’s former-manager, and featured regularly with the first team since making his debut back in 2010 against Tala’ea El Geish. He’s been dropped for the likes of wing-back Hazem Emam Jr. and veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan under the current reign of Hassan Shehata. Despite this, he’s a regular starter for Egypt’s youth teams; and was very impressive during the 2011 U20 World Cup in Colombia. In Egypt’s first match at the tournament, they held Brazil to a 1-1 draw with Gaber scoring Egypt’s equalizer in the 26^th minute. Omar also scored against Turkey in the group stage at the Toulon Tournament this summer. His consistent performances with Egypt’s youth teams has led to Hany Ramzy including him in the Olympic squad representing The Pharaohs in the 2012 London Olympics.

Style of Play

Omar is often played as a right-sided full-back, even though he has made it clear he prefers the central midfield role. He’s categorized under the mold of the average Egyptian full-back who’ll happily put his defensive duties on hold while having a run towards the opponent’s goal. Despite this speedster’s impressive performances with Zamalek and Egypt’s youth teams so far, he still hasn’t secured a regular place on the national team due to the abundance of players in his position such as  Al Ahly’s experienced  Ahmed Fathi, who plays in the same position as Gaber. There’s also Mohamed El Nenny,  Hossam Ghaly and Hosni Abd Rabo – who are the favorites in the central midfield zone. Despite his low chances in starting games right now, he would make  a great option for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. His speed and agility will be perfect against the tired legs of his opponents and will add flair to the team later on in the match, especially after the imminent retirement of the likes of Abd Rabo and Ghaly .

Pros:

• Immense pace and stamina.
• Explosive runs down the right-wing.
• Decent short passer.
• Versatile.

Cons:

• Poor defensive positioning at times.
• Lacks physical strength.
• Often leaves wing exposed.

– Profile last updated on June 14, 2015 

Follow Mohamed Farouk on twitter.

Return to the rest of the Olympic Squad