Emam Ashour

Emam Ashour Metwally Abdelghany (Arabic: إمام عاشور متولي عبد الغني; born 20 February 1998) is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Egyptian Premier League club Al Ahly and the Egypt national team.

Emam Ashour
إمام عاشور

Ashour with Al Ahly in 2025
Personal information
Full name	Emam Ashour Metwally Abdelghany[1]
Date of birth	(1998-02-20) 20 February 1998 (age 27)[1]
Place of birth	El Senbellawein, Dakahlia, Egypt
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s)	Midfielder / Winger
Team information
Current team	Al Ahly
Number	22
Youth career
0000–2015	Ghazl El Mahalla
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2019	Ghazl El Mahalla
2018–2019	→ Haras El Hodoud (loan)	31	(4)
2019–2023	Zamalek	77	(13)
2023	Midtjylland	5	(1)
2023–	Al Ahly	71	(25)
International career‡
2019–2021	Egypt U23	14	(0)
2021–	Egypt	19	(1)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Egypt Africa Cup of Nations Runner-up 2021 Cameroon Africa U-23 Cup of Nations Winner Egypt 2019 Egypt U23
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 January 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 July 2024

Club career

Ghazl El Mahlla

Ashour began his career in the youth sector of Ghazl El Mahalla and progressed through all of the club's youth teams. He was promoted to the first team for El Mahalla and then moved to Haras El Hodoud on loan for a season.^[2]

Haras El Hodoud

2018–19

On 19 October 2018, Emam Ashour equalized for Haras El Hodoud by scoring the first goal against Smouha, in the match held between the two teams at Borg El Arab Stadium, in the 11th round of the Premier League.^[3]

On 26 November 2018, Emam Ashour scored the third goal for Haras El Hodood Club against its counterpart, Wadi Degla, in the sixteenth round match of the league competition. Emam Ashour scored the goal in the 88th minute of the match against Mohamed Abdel Monsef.^[4]

On 26 May 2019, Emam Ashour scored a goal against Wadi Degla, which the Guard equalized with a similar goal in the match that ended in a 1-1 draw.^{[citation needed]}

Zamalek

2019–20

On 4 August 2019, Zamalek officials signed contracts to include Emam Ashour, Ghazl El Mahalla playmaker, for 5 seasons.^[5]

On 20 February 2020, the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Egyptian Football Association decided, regarding the events of the Super Cup match that was held between the Al Ahly and Zamalek teams in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, to suspend Emam Ashour until the end of the season and fine each of them 100,000 pounds.^[6]

On 22 September 2020, Emam Ashour scored the third goal for Zamalek against Tanta in the 96th minute of the match at Cairo International Stadium in the 29th round of the league, which ended with a score of 3/1 for Zamalek.^[7]

On 5 October 2020, Emam Ashour scored the equalizer in the 81st minute of the match in his team's match against Smouha 2-1, in the round of 16 competitions in the Egyptian Cup.^[8]

On 6 October 2020, the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Football Association announced that Zamalek player Imam Ashour was suspended for one match and fined 50,000 pounds, for what he did in the match between Zamalek and Al Masry, in the 31st round of the Egyptian League Championship, which ended with Zamalek's 1-0 victory.^[9]

2020–21

On 9 January 2021, Emam Ashour scored two goals in his team's 3-0 win over Talaea El Gaish in the sixth round of the Egyptian Premier League. Emam Ashour was able to take the lead in the 49th minute with a missile shot. Ashour reappeared in the 71st minute to score the third goal for Zamalek after a shot into the far left corner of the Al-Talaea goalkeeper.

On 12 January 2021, Emam Ashour scored Zamalek's only goal with a shot in the 54th minute of the match, which Zamalek won 1-0 against Al Masry SC. Emam Ashour intercepted the ball the most and recovered it from Al-Masry for the benefit of Zamalek players, with a score of 20 times in the match, and he was the second player who received the ball the most from his teammates, with a score of 42 successful receptions, with a score of 100%, after Tarek Hamed.

On 2 February 2021, Emam Ashour assisted a goal for Ferjani Sassi from a strike in the 69th minute of the match that Zamalek lost to Ghazl El Mahalla with a score of 2-1 at El Mahalla Stadium in the 11th round matches of the Egyptian Premier League.

On 7 February 2021, Emam assisted a goal for Youssef Obama in the 77th minute after a cross ball into the right side of the penalty area, and Obama headed it over, announcing his team's second goal in the match that Zamalek won 2-0 over Al-Ittihad Alexandria in the matches of the 12th round of the Egyptian league.

Emam celebrate a goal for Zamalek in Egyptian Premier League

On 14 August 2021, Emam Ashour scored the first goal against Al-Ismaili with a powerful shot that collided with the Ismaily SC defender, changed direction, and entered the net in the 56th minute of the match, which ended with Zamalek's 2-0 win at Ismailia Stadium in the thirtieth round of the Egyptian Premier League competitions.

On 21 July 2022, Emam Ashour scored the second goal against Al Ahly with a perfect missile shot, in the match that was held on the grounds of Cairo International Stadium, in the final of the 2021 Egypt Cup.

Midtjylland

Ashour participated in 7 matches with Midtjylland in all competitions, which he scored two goals, one goal in the UEFA Europa League, and another in the Danish Superliga.^[10]

Al Ahly

2023–24

On 18 July 2023, Ashour joined Al Ahly from Midtjylland for 5 year contract,^[11] He was given the number 22 shirt, once worn by The legend Mohamed Aboutrika.

On 15 September 2023, Ashour made his debut with Al Ahly against USM Alger in CAF Super Cup.

On 15 December 2023, he scored his first goal in the FIFA Club World for Al Ahly in a 3–1 win over Al-Ittihad in the FIFA Club World Cup second round.^[12]

During the first season, Emam Ashour contributed mainly to winning the CAF Champions League title for the twelfth time in Al-Ahly's history at the expense of ES Tunis.

Emam Ashour celebrate his first CAF Champions League title with Al Ahly

Emam Ashour also played an important role in achieving the Egypt Cup title at the expense of Zamalek SC, after scoring a goal in the quarter-finals against ENPPI Club and then scoring the first goal in the tournament final against the White Knight.

He played an important role in Al-Ahly's journey in the Nile League, and succeeded in maintaining the championship title for the second season in a row. In general, Emam Ashour participated in the Al-Ahly club shirt in 40 matches in various tournaments, during which he scored 10 goals and assisted 9 other goals, thus contributing in 19 matches.

Therefore, Emam Ashour makes a scoring contribution, whether by scoring or assisting, with a goal rate in approximately every two matches, which is the highest rate among the team's current players who have completed a year. Regarding the Nile League Championship campaign,

After Wessam Abou Ali, Ashour had the second most goal contributions among Al-Ahly players with 11, scoring seven and assisting four others.

2024–25

Ashour scored his first ever hat-trick on 11 January 2025 against Stade d'Abidjan in the group stage of the CAF Champions League.^[13]

Emam Ashour celebrate a goal title with Al Ahly in Egyptian Premier League

In June 2025, Ashour was excluded from Al Ahly's squad for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup due to an injury he sustained during the opening match against Inter Miami.^[14]

International career

Youth level

He played for the Egypt U23 team in Egypt 2023 when they got the first place and won the championship.

In 2021 he was called up by the Egyptian national Olympic team to participate in the Games of the 2020 Olympics games in Tokyo.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 January 2025^[15]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Haras El Hodoud	2018–19	Egyptian Premier League	31	4	1	0	—		—		32	4
Zamalek SC	2018–19	Egyptian Premier League	0	0	3	0	—		1[b]	0	4	0
	2019–20		12	1	2	1	—		—		14	2
	2020–21		21	5	3	1	4[c]	0	—		28	6
	2021–22		29	5	3	0	7[c]	0	1[b]	0	40	5
	2022–23		15	2	—		1[c]	0	—		16	2
	Total		77	13	11	2	12	0	2	0	102	15
FC Midtjylland	2022–23	Danish Superliga	5	1	—		2[d]	1	—		7	2
Al Ahly	2022–23	Egyptian Premier League	0	0	2	2	—		—		2	2
	2023–24		26	8	—		11[c]	0	7[e]	1	44	9
	2024–25		6	1	—		6[c]	4	5[f]	1	17	6
	Total		32	9	2	2	17	4	12	2	63	17
Career total			145	23	14	4	31	5	14	2	206	38

1. Includes Egypt Cup
2. Appearance in Egyptian Super Cup
3. Appearances in CAF Champions League
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
5. One appearance in African Football League, two appearances in Egyptian Super Cup, three appearances and one goal in FIFA Club World Cup, one appearance in CAF Super Cup
6. Two appearances in Egyptian Super Cup, two appearances and one goal in FIFA Club World Cup, one appearance in CAF Super Cup

International

As of match played 22 March 2024^[15][16]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Egypt	2021	1	0
	2022	8[a]	0
	2023	2	0
	2024	5[b]	0
Total		16	0

1. Two appearances in Africa Cup of Nations
2. Three appearances in Africa Cup of Nations

Honours

Zamalek

• Egyptian Premier League: 2020–21, 2021–22
• Egypt Cup: 2018–19, 2020–21
• Egyptian Super Cup: 2019
• CAF Confederation Cup: 2019
• CAF Super Cup: 2020

Al Ahly

• Egyptian Premier League: 2023–24, 2024–25
• Egypt Cup: 2022–23
• Egyptian Super Cup: 2023, 2024
• CAF Champions League: 2023-24
• FIFA African–Asian–Pacific Cup: 2024

Egypt U23

• Africa U-23 Cup of Nations: 2019

Individual

• Egyptian Premier League top goalscorer: 2024–25