Player Profile: Ahmed El-Shennawy

Designed by Mohaned Ghanem

Name: Ahmed El-Shennawy
Date of Birth: May 14, 1991
Height: 1.90 m (6 ft 2 in)
Nationality: Egyptian
Current Club: Al Masry
Previous Club(s): Zamalek
Position: Goalkeeper
Foot: Right

Click here for the latest on Ahmed El-Shennawy.

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It’s always exciting to see a young player, especially a goalkeeper, meteorically rise to the top at an early stage of his career. Ahmed El Shennawy almost fits the bill. The 21 year old Egyptian stopper has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Egyptian Premier league and has recently cemented his spot in Bob Bradley’s national team. He’s quickly become one of Egypt’s and Africa’s hottest prospects.

Blessed with a physique and maturity beyond his years, El Shennawy asserts confidence throughout the teams he plays in due to his effective communication with the defensive line and his commanding presence. Shennawy is also a dependable character on the pitch with captain qualities. Another vital characteristic in a modern keeper is the anticipation levels, and Ahmed has plenty of this. He’ll quickly take up a sweeper’s duties, often coming off his line to clear a ball. He’s also excellent in collecting crosses, with his strong and tall physique aiding him dearly in the air. Shennawy also boasts some excellent reflexes and is rarely beaten from close range. Confident, commanding and fearless, he’s got some nifty qualities for a 21 year old.

On the other hand, there is lots of room for improvement. A key aspect in modern keepers is distribution, and he’s not entirely confident with passing the ball around. He’ll get the ball forward well, but won’t necessarily pick out close team mates. At his young age, he’s still lacking the experience in dealing with different situations, but that should likely improve with good coaching and game time. Shennawy also needs to work on dealing comfortably with low strikes from long range. The majority are parried, but there’s always that sinking feeling when he’s tested.

Having moved up from the Masry youth teams to the first team, Ahmed El Shennawy recently signed a one year loan deal with Egyptian giants Zamalek, after trialing with Real Betis for a week. Shennawy was selected in the CAF U23 Best XI and was nominated for Africa’s Most Promising Talent of the Year in 2011. With the London 2012 Olympics coming up, one wonders if he took a slightly hastened decision to move to a local club rather than waiting to impress in the Olympics.

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Pros:

– Confident and commanding.
– Anticipation.
– Collecting crosses.
– Reflex saves from close range shots.

Cons:

– Distribution.
– Lack of experience.
– Slow getting down for low shots from long range.

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