Goalkeeper Gabaski, other Egyptians catching attention of Saudi teams after recent club, international success in Africa

RIYADH: Senegal’s Edouard Mendy may have won the Golden Gloves after his country’s victory in the recent Africa Cup of Nations, but the best goalkeeper of the tournament award would surely have gone to Mohamed Abou Gabal had Egypt emerged as champions in the final.

The Zamalek goalkeeper, better known as Gabaski, replaced the injured Mohamed El-Shenawy during the second-round clash with Ivory Coast and quickly became feted around the world due to a string of heroic performances.

And just as the tournament’s top scorer Vincent Aboubakar plays his club football for Al-Nassr, it could be that the goalkeeper will be joining the striker at the Saudi club later this year.

At the moment, Gabaski is one of the most recognizable goalkeepers outside Europe which is quite a statement as he had played just three games for his country at the start of 2022. By early February, he had made four more appearances.

In that first Ivory Coast clash, he made two fantastic penalty saves to win the shootout for Egypt. In the quarterfinal, he picked up an injury against Morocco but helped the team to a 2-1 win and then in the semifinal, he cemented his burgeoning international reputation with another fine performance and a save in a penalty shootout win over the hosts Cameroon.

The final against Senegal may have ended in a penalty shootout defeat but it was telling that Gabaski was named man of the match.

The semifinal may not be the last time he crosses swords with Aboubakar. Al-Nassr are nine-time Saudi champions and are on the trail of the 33-year-old, whose contract with the Cairo giants comes to an end this summer.

It is easy to see why the transfer could be attractive for both parties. Al-Nassr would get a major star of the Arab