Essam Baheeg

Essam Baheeg
	Baheeg in 1964
Personal information
Full name	Essam Baheeg
Date of birth	26 February 1931
Place of birth	Alexandria, Egypt
Date of death	4 December 2008 (aged 77)
Place of death	Cairo, Egypt
Position(s)	Winger
Senior career*
Years	Team
1949–1960	Zamalek
International career
1953–1960	Egypt
Managerial career
1987–1988	Zamalek
1999–2000	Qanah
2000–2001	Sharqiya
	Sohag
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Egypt (as player)
Mediterranean Games
Africa Cup of Nations
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Essam Baheeg (Arabic: عصام بهيج; 26 February 1931 – 4 December 2008) was an Egyptian football manager and former footballer who played as a winger for Zamalek. He also played for the Egyptian national team, and represented his country and was part of the team that won the 1959 Africa Cup of Nations.

Early life edit

He was born on 26 February 1931 in Alexandria, Egypt to a middle class family. He started playing football in the streets of the city. Afterwards, he moved to Cairo in mid-1940s.

Career edit

Essam Baheeg's talent was discovered by Zamalek's president Mohammed Haidar Pasha who chose Baheeg for the youth team when he was 18 years old. In 1949, Baheeg played for the first team, and quickly became a key player for Zamalek, thanks to his talent and skills, he reached fame in a young age. Baheeg was known for his loyalty and sincerity to Zamalek, this increased his popularity among the clubs' fans and the Egyptian football fans in general.

Despite his short career as a player and his early retirement, he won with his team 6 titles of the Egypt Cup (1952, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960). He won the Cairo League (1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53). Baheeg won with Zamalek the 1959–60 Egyptian Premier League. He did not play for any other club throughout his 12-year football career, he's considered an icon and symbol for the club.

Baheeg with Zamalek

With his country, he played with Egypt for 11 years, from 1949 till his retirement. He played for his country in the 1959 African Cup of Nations, and participated in the two matches against the Ethiopia and Sudan. He scored the two winning goals in the final against Sudan and lead his country to win their second title. Baheeg also scored a famous goal in France from forty yards in the football finals of the 1955 Mediterranean Games in Barcelona, in which Egypt won the gold medal.

Coaching career edit

Baheeg coached the National Bank of Egypt SC in the 1970s, and coached Zamalek in the 1987-88 season and achieved the 1987–88 Egyptian League, the 1988 Egypt Cup, and the 1987 Afro-Asian Club Championship, in addition to winning the Friendship Cup. He coached Al-Qana SC in the 1999-2000 season, coached Al-Sharqia Club in the 2000-01 season, and Sohag Club in the 2001-02 season. He won the elections and was a board member of Zamalek. Baheeg holds the record for Zamalek as the only coach who achieved 10 consecutive wins in the Egyptian League, and this number has not been broken yet with any other coach.

Career statistics edit

International goals edit

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	17 July 1955	Barcelona, Spain	France B	6–2	Win	1955 Mediterranean Games
2.	20 July 1955	Barcelona, Spain	Spain B	1–1	Draw	1955 Mediterranean Games
3.	29 May 1959	Al Ahly Stadium, Cairo, United Arab Republic	Sudan	2–1	Win	1959 African Cup of Nations
4.	29 May 1959	Al Ahly Stadium, Cairo, United Arab Republic	Sudan	2–1	Win	1959 African Cup of Nations
Correct as of 13 January 2017^[1]