Mohamed Aboutrika - Career - 2012

2012

Port Said Stadium Disaster

After the Port Said Stadium disaster, on 1 February 2012, Aboutrika decided to retire from professional football, along with Emad Motaeb and Mohamed Barakat, then he decided to get back to football. Around a week later, the Egyptian Premier League had been cancelled. Aboutrika had finished the uncompleted campaign with 4 goals in 14 games.

CAF Champions League

On 14 May 2012. Ahly were down 1-0 at home to Stade Malien in a second leg CAF Champions League match and were down 2-0 on aggregate. Aboutrika was subbed on in the 42nd minute for Mohamed Shawky and in the second half, he scored his first every CAF Champions League hat-trick, 2 of which were scored in the last 8 minutes of the match. He scored the first from a wonderfully curled free-kick from 28 yards out. He then scored the second from a penalty in the 82nd minute. Finally, he blasted the third from into the top right corner from 12 yards out to get the hat-trick, complete the comeback, and secure Al-Ahly a place in the 2012 CAF Champions League group stage.

London 2012

Aboutrika was one of the three overage players participated with Egypt in London 2012, and was the team's captain. Aboutrika scored Egypt's first goal in the tournament against Brazil in a loss 3-2. In the second game, Aboutrika's assist for Mohamed Salah picked a 1-1 draw against New Zealand. In the third game against Belarus, Aboutrika assisted a goal for Mohamed Salah and scored another to help Egypt win 3-1 and claim a quarter-final berth.

Egypt qualifying for the Olympic quarter-finals on 1 August, six months to the day after being devastated by Port Said Stadium disaster. For no-one was the triumph more poignant than the team’s captain, Mohamed Aboutrika. It is hardly surprising to hear that the 33-year-old will never forget what he saw that dreadful night, which ended with him comforting the injured and dying in a chaotic Al Ahly dressing room. What is unexpected is to hear him say that he doesn’t wish to forget. However, as Aboutrika explained, it is his desire to honour the 79 who lost their lives in Port Said which compels him to keep them uppermost in his thoughts as he leads the national team onwards at London 2012. “Those people are always in my mind because we held them as they were dying,” he recalled. “They are always with us and they give us strong motivation to honour them and give everything we have. We try to help their families in whatever way we can, and hopefully winning here will provide the all people back home with some happiness.”

Club World Cup

Aboutrika scored the winner goal for Al-Ahly in a 2-1 victory over Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima. A goal secured his team a place in the Quarter-finals. Al-Ahly came fourth in the tournament. Aboutrika became the joint all-time top scorer in the FIFA Club World Cup with 4 goals along with Lionel Messi and Denilson.

Africa Based Player of the Year

Aboutrika was crowned African player of the Year Based in Africa. The 34-year old bagged his third title after winning the same award in 2008 and 2006.