Mohamed Hani, the right back of the Egypt national team, expressed his immense joy and pride at the high technical praise he received from German legend Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Schweinsteiger praised Mohamed Hani's performance during Egypt's 1-1 draw with Belgium in the first round of Group 7 of the FIFA World Cup group stage, currently being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Schweinsteiger made a point of taking a commemorative photo with Mohamed Hani after the Belgium match, in an expression of his admiration for the level shown by the 'Pharaohs' player, despite Hani having scored Belgium's only goal as an own goal. Hani had been tasked with marking Belgium winger Jérémy Doku during the match, and succeeded in completely neutralising the Manchester City star's threat throughout the game.
Hani described the German star as a footballing figure of enormous stature in the world of the game, saying that such positive words and praise from him represented a great personal honour and a very strong start that gives him doubled motivation and a powerful drive to deliver his best for the national team going forward.
The Egypt defender praised the exceptional World Cup atmosphere and the positive spirit prevailing among all members of the delegation, expressing his hope for continued work with his teammates to develop their performance, reach higher levels, and achieve positive results that will delight millions of fans in the coming period.
Egypt face New Zealand on Sunday evening local time in Vancouver, Canada, in the group's second round, as the side nicknamed the 'Pharaohs' seek their first World Cup victory. It is Egypt's fourth appearance at the tournament, following their participations in 1934, 1990 and 2018.