Essam El Hadary is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and is captain of both the Egyptian National Team and a Saudi Arabian professional football club, Al Taawoun.
Apart from playing for several football clubs of Eygpt, he has also played for Swiss football club, Sion and Sudanese football club, Al Merreikh.
He made his international debut for Eygpt in 1996 and won the African Cup of Nations in 1998,2006,2008 and 2010 edition as well has played at FIFA Confederation Cup in 1999 and 2009.
Essam El Hadary holds an Egyptian nationality He was born to mother, Fathia El Beheiry, and father, Haj Kamal ElHadary on 15 January 1973 in Kafr El Battikh, Damietta, Egypt.
He was highly devoted to football since his early childhood days and joined the youth club of Damietta SC to start his playing career.
His annual salary is around €350,000 with a weekly salary of € 7,000 with he gets from playing for his current team AI Taawoun. His current market worth is in the region of € 350,000 as of 2018.
Looking at his long and illustrious playing career for several professional football clubs and Eygpt, his total net worth could be over $ 650,000.
After playing for the youth team of Damietta, he joined the main team to begin his senior professional playing career. He played 58 matches for the club and joined renowned Egyptian football club, AI Ahly SC in 1996.
Over a decade with AI Ahly, he went on win several prestigious titles and cups with the team such as Egyptian Premier League, Eygpt Cup, Arab Club Champions Cup, Arab Super Cup, Egyptian Super Cup to name a few.
After a successful playing with AI Ahly, he moved to Switzerland and signed a four contract with Swiss club, FC Sion in 2008 and was the part of the team that went on to win Swiss Cup in 2008/09.
He later went to play for Ismaily SC and Zamalek SC and later on played with Sudanese professional football club, AI Merreikh, he won the Sudan Premier League in 2011 as well as Sudan Cup in 2012 and was transferred back to Egyptian club, Al Ittihad Alexandria.
EI Hadary later on signed with Wadi Dega for 2013/14 season and was transferred back to the old club, Ismaily SC in 2014.
After signing again with his former club of Wadi Degla in 2015, he is currently playing for Saudi football club, AI Taawoun in 2017, thus becoming the first non-Saudi football player to play at the Saudi Arabian League.
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After making his full international debut for Eygpt in 1996, he went to make over 150 appearances for Eygpt and was chosen the best goalkeeper in Africa Cup of Nations 2006 at Eygpt.
He is expected to lead the Egyptian squad along with players such as striker, Mohamed Salah as well as a midfielder, Ramadan Sobhi at the FIFA World Cup at 2018. In January 2017, after coming on as a substitute for Ahmed El Shenawy, he became the oldest player ever to appear in Africa Cup of Nations.
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Affectionately known as High Dam and considered as the greatest player in the history of African football, Essam EI Hadary has been praised by Ivory Coast legendary player Didier Drogba for being the best opponent he has come against.
He stands at towering height of 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs around 86 kg. The star goalkeeper is married to his wife, Sabrine Reda. He also has a daughter, Shadwa El-Hadary who engaged with fellow Egyptian footballer, Mahmoud Kahraba on May 2017.
His daughter, Shadwa El-Hadary plays football at junior women team of Wadi Degla.
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