Hussein Hegazi

Hussein Hegazi (sometimes written as Hassan Hegazi or Hegazy) was a centre forward who played for Fulham in November 1911. He is notable in the clubs' history as being the first foreign player to ever play for the club. A 20-year old Egyptian, effectively poached from Dulwich Hamlet, he played a single match for Fulham in November 1911 in which he scored.

Before Fulham
Hussein was born into a wealthy family in a small village by the name of Kremlah in the Sharqia Province of Egypt. His father was a rural aristocrat named Mohamed Bey Hegazi who would spoil young Hussein and was given everything that he'd ask for. The story goes that as a youngster, he was rarely seen without a football and would frequently practice his ball skills by aiming his shots at the large jars that were carried by female villagers on their heads. Every time he broke a jar, the disgruntled villager would go and complain to his parents, who would then compensate them for the broken jar.

His early potential as a footballer was spotted quickly and he represented the El-Saideya High School for four years. It wasn't just football that Hussein excelled in, as he was also a talented sprinter. As a young teenager he won the 440 yards and 880 yards races in the Egyptian national championships for four years running. These were the equivalent to the 400m and 800m in todays standards.

He became member of National Sporting Club – a club composed mainly of British exiles – Hussein spent his mid-teenage years competing against teams chiefly drawn from the British army bases, and Government Offices stationed in the Middle East. He would always play centre forward and had no desire to play in any other position; in one season he netted a remarkable 57 goals. When he was 18, he was part of an Egyptian representative side that won a prestigious 5-a-side competition, which included several great military teams.

He travelled to London in the summer of 1911 to study Engineering at the University College London. Initially he stayed in college accommodation in Gower Street, until he later found private digs at 55 Devonshire Street, W1. Around the same time he joined Dulwich Hamlet and would hit the ground running by averaging nearly a goal a game amnd earning high praise from reporters of the time. His speed and dribbling skills amongst others were frequently mentioned in newspaper reports and his playmaking ability also given credit. It was uncommon at the time to have a centre forward so short and light as Hussein was, as many players in that position during the early 20th century were typically big in stature and favoured a more physical way of playing.

Fulham (1911)
His goalscoring exploits with non-League Dulwich Hamlet hadn't gone unnoticed in the capital, and Hussein was invited to Craven Cottage by Phil Kelso in November 1911 to play for Fulham.

He promptly made his debut on 11 November 1911 as he turned out for the Whites against Stockport County at home in a 3-1 win in which he scored the first goal after 15 minutes. After a strong performance, Dulwich Hamlet founder Pa Wilson visited Hussein the following week to plead him to stay with his own club. Hussein agreed, and though he wanted to test himself in the Football League, he felt that his loyality was owed to the club which had gave him so much.

After Fulham
Hussein pledged his future with Dulwich Hamlet for the remainder of the season by signing the FA’s Form L, which restricted him to one club only. Phil Kelso, however, still hoped to sign him up the following season for Fulham.

He was chosen to lead the attack for the London FA against Middlesex on the 7 December 1911. It was the first of five games he played for them over the following 15 months, gaining him a cap and badge.

He went on two continental tours in the spring of 1912 - one with Dulwich Hamlet, playing out three drawn matches in Holland, before another tour with the UCL team to Prague and then France, where he scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win against French champions Lille.

Prior to the start of the 1912-13 season, Hussein signed amateur forms for Millwall, but would only make two appearances for their reserve team but continued playing for Dulwich Hamlet the same season. His final season with them would be the 1913-14 season, the final campaign before the First World War. He had converted to an inside right forward by this time, but his goalscoring prowess remained the same.

It was around September 1913 when he began his studies at Cambridge University, but withdrew from his course before the first year had ended. Still, he managed to earn his Cambridge blue in January 1914, when Cambridge beat Oxford 2-1 at Queen's Club. Sensing the turbulence in Europe, once he finished that season with Dulwich Hamlet, he returned to Egypt in the summer of 1914.

Starting his professional career in his native country, Hussein formed his own team that was handpicked and called the Hussein Hegazi XI. But it was with Al-Ahly in Port Said that he would really begin to make his name in Egypt, and he became the most popular footballer in the country. In 1919, he moved to fierce rivals Nady El-Mokhtalat (now known as Zamalek) until 1922, when he joined El Sekka El Hadid. During these years, he was so popular amongst fans that they would support whoever he was playing for at the time, which was very unusual by any standards.

After spending two seasons with El Sekka, he re-joined Al-Ahly for one more season before finishing his playing career with Nady El-Mokhtalat.

In the Olympic Games of 1920 (Antwerp) and 1924 (Paris), Hussein represented Egypt as a player but was also the coach of the side. In 1932, at the grand old age of forty, he decided to hang up his boots.

Such was his fame in his home country, named in honour of its once famous resident there is a Hussein Hegazi Street.

Hussein died in Egypt in 1961 at the age of 70.