Egyptian · Qarqirah, El Senbellawein, Egypt · Born 30 October 1954Mahmoud El Khatib, nicknamed 'Bibo', is an Egyptian football legend and current Al Ahly president who spent his entire 16-year career at the club, becoming the first Egyptian to win the African Footballer of the Year award.
Mahmoud Ibrahim Ibrahim El Khatib, nicknamed 'Bibo,' was born on October 30, 1954, in Qarqirah, El Senbellawein, Dakahlia, Egypt, and moved to Cairo as a teenager, joining Al Nasr's youth system before transferring to Al Ahly at 16 in 1971. He spent his entire senior career at the club, scoring 109 goals in 199 appearances across 16 seasons, and served as Al Ahly's top scorer for eight consecutive seasons from 1973 to 1981. El Khatib won ten Egyptian Premier League titles and five Egypt Cups with Al Ahly, and set a still-unbroken record of 37 goals across African continental competitions, helping the club win the African Cup of Champions Clubs twice, in 1982 and 1987, and the African Cup Winners' Cup three times. His finest individual honour came in 1983, when he became the first Egyptian footballer to win the France Football African Footballer of the Year award. El Khatib earned 54 caps for Egypt between 1974 and 1986, captaining the national team to victory at the 1986 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil before retiring from international football, and represented Egypt at the 1984 Olympics. He was also honoured with the FIFA Fair Play Award in 1987 for playing 450 matches across competitions while receiving only a single yellow card. El Khatib retired from playing in 1988, joined Al Ahly's board of directors in 1990, and has served as the club's president since December 2017.
Becoming the first Egyptian to win the African Footballer of the Year award, and captaining Egypt to the 1986 Africa Cup of Nations title
How They Played
Prolific, technically skilled forward renowned for clinical finishing and consistency in continental competition
Lasting Impact
Widely regarded as one of the greatest forwards in African football history, and a defining figure of Al Ahly's continental dominance in the 1980s
Career Honours
- African Footballer of the Year (1983), first Egyptian to win the award
- 10x Egyptian Premier League champion (Al Ahly)
- 2x African Cup of Champions Clubs winner (1982, 1987)
- Africa Cup of Nations winner (1986, with Egypt)
- FIFA Fair Play Award (1987)
| Club | Period | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Al Nasr | 1969–1971 | — |
| Al Ahly | 1971–1988 | — |
Egyptian Athletes