OTD: AHMED ELMOHAMADY DEBUT

On this day in 2010, Ahmed Elmohamady played the first of his 61 games for Sunderland. The full-back-come-winger was clearly a favourite of Steve Bruce, who signed him three times!

In 2009, Elmohamady was brought to England by Bruce, who was Sunderland manager at the time. It was an initial loan deal, with an option to buy. He made his debut for the lads in a 2-2 draw against Birmingham City. We were 2-0 up before Lee Cattermole was sent off, leading to a capitulation late on that allowed Birmingham to salvage a point.

Against Arsenal, Elmohamady was named Man of the Match, despite giving away a penalty. He was fortunate that Thomas Rosicky ballooned the spot kick over the bar and Darren Bent was able to equalise in the very last seconds. This came after Cesc Fabregas scored one of the strangest goals of the season. He closed down Anton Ferdinand who failed to clear the ball, stuck a boot out and blocked the ball. Ferdinand’s failed clearance flew over Mignolet’s head, who was stranded in no-man's land, from around 40 yards!

He was a consistent figure in his first season on Wearside and his impressive performances convinced Bruce to sign him permanently in March 2011. The following season, Elmo started in our opening game against Liverpool and assisted Seb Larsson’s debut goal. He swung in a brilliant cross that was met perfectly by an acrobatic effort from Larsson.

When Bruce left Sunderland in December 2011, Elmohamady fell out of favour and didn’t start any games under new manager Martin O’Neill. At the end of the season, he joined Hull City on loan, who were managed by his former boss Steve Bruce. It was another successful loan spell, which led to him being named Hull’s Player of the Year. He signed permanently for the Tigers that summer and became a mainstay in the side.

When Steve Bruce took over at Aston Villa, he once again brought with him Elmohamady. His Villa debut actually came in a 1-1 draw with his former club Hull and his first goal came against the same team! He left Aston Villa in June 2021 and is now retired. He later became a club ambassador at Aston Villa and, in 2023, he was given a full time role in the club's commercial department. Ahmed also works on the board of Egyptian club Zed FC.

On the international stage, Elmohamady was capped 92 times by Egypt and scored six goals. He represented his country at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2019, winning the tournament in 2008 and 2010. Additionally, he played at the 2009 Confederations Cup and was part of Egypt's squad at the 2018 World Cup but he didn't get off of the bench.