Young Pharaoh El Shaarawy After a turbulent summer of farewells, AC Milan look to be rediscovering their swagger thanks to the unbridled talent of a thrilling new driving force. Doubts spread at the San Siro earlier this year as Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and nearly a dozen stalwarts, including Gennaro Gattuso, waved goodbye, but the spectacular emergence of Stephan El Shaarawy has sparked a fresh sense of optimism. Much of the credit for that must go to coach Massimiliano Allegri, who has entrusted the 20-year-old with a huge amount of responsibility. It looked to be a risky gamble at the start of the season, but 15 goals later – including 13 in Serie A – and Allegri is undoubtedly reaping the rewards. In terms of goalscoring, the pupil has eclipsed his departed Swedish master. Il Faraone (the Pharaoh) reigns supreme. El Shaarawy has adapted to his new status with élan, feeding off the confidence of his coach and revelling in his position on the left side of Milan's attack. Game by game, he has grown in stature and effectiveness this term, without losing any of his youthful vigour. It has been a remarkable progression, not least since he was the player most likely to find himself singled out for criticism by Ibrahimovic last season. Even then, though, he was quick to recognise that his experienced team-mate was merely pushing him to improve, rather than voicing his displeasure. The now Paris Saint-Germain forward's imposing presence was a clear stimulus for the youngster, although El Shaarawy was never shy to defend himself whenever castigated for not passing him the ball. "Zlatan burns with the desire to win," he says now. "I read his autobiography because I was curious to understand his journey in life and in his career. I wanted to understand his huge ambition." Feet on the ground Pressed to name his idol and El Shaarawy will cite Ronaldinho, but his style is far more reminiscent of another former Rossoneri great, Andriy Shevchenko, with whom he shares a tremendous sense of application, a willingness to learn and a gift for keeping things simple. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those same qualities have helped him become a popular figure in the dressing room, even if he is conscious how much his life has been transformed since he first arrived at Milanello, the club's training complex. "Your life can't but change, especially when you've always lived in small towns like me," he explains. "I've got to know some great champions here. In technical terms, I learned a lot from Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, while on a personal level Clarence Seedorf, Pipo Inzaghi and Massimo Ambrosini have played an important role. In particular, they've advised me how to organise my life in Milan, how to behave away from the pitch, how to choose and listen to the right people, how to take training seriously, how to act towards supporters and the need to limit my appearances in public." I still act the same way around everyone, including my old friends from Savona. The only difference now is that it's me who's buying the pizza. AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy Perhaps paradoxically, his biggest fear now is not failure, but over-confidence. "I thought it would be easy not to get carried away," he says. "Actually, it's tough. When you see a footballer, you say to yourself: 'How do they get to be so presumptuous?' But when it's you, and people never stop asking for autographs or photos, and they're always on your back, you start to think of yourself as some sort of phenomenon. Luckily, my father is there to make sure I keep my feet on the ground. I still act the same way around everyone, including my old friends from Savona. The only difference now is that it's me who's buying the pizza." As for Allegri, he feels nothing but gratitude, despite having often been left on the bench last season. "I have to thank him," he says. "He's not someone who speaks a lot, but when he does it's always to give you good advice, whether it's about football or life in general." Indeed, paying heed to the guidance of his elders has been key to El Shaarawy's progression, and club vice-president Adriano Galliani has been one of many to note the results. "When he joined us, he had a lot of problems," recalls Galliani. "Now, at 20 years of age, he's demonstrating incredible maturity. He's one of the best players in the world in his age group, along with Neymar." Combination with Balotelli International recognition has come at a young age too, and El Shaarawy was started alongside 21-year-old Mario Balotelli in Italy's 2-1 loss to France on 14 November, opening his Azzurri account with the home side's goal. "It was very important for me, even if my goal wasn't enough for us to beat France, who are a very strong team. My understanding with Balotelli is excellent. It felt perfect playing with him and he's a great player." Given El Shaarawy's rapid ascent, many more chances to hone that partnership surely lie ahead. After all, he has struck 13 times in just 16 Serie A outings this season – at a rate of 0.81 goals per game – and has proved himself capable of changing a match in a variety of ways, be it a laser-guided cross from the left, a long-range shot full of power or precision, or even by threatening closer to goal like a traditional centre-forward. He likewise enjoys the ability to conjure a pragmatic finish à la Inzaghi, as he did in Sunday's 4-2 defeat of Torino, chipping the ball over the goalkeeper for his team's fourth goal after having served up an assist for the third. He may be anxious to keep his feet on the ground, but Il Faraone is positively soaring at the moment, especially in the familiar surroundings of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. "It's a fabulous place", he says. "It's like a buffalo breathing down on you for 90 minutes. You really feel it in a powerful way on the pitch. Because of that, I never stop running. I chase every ball, because that's what the people want." He is now looking forward to the winter break in Italy, and not just to recharge his batteries after months of tireless running. Above all, he is keen for a holiday – and one paid for by Milan captain Ambrosini. The 35-year-old bet the youngster that he could not score seven goals before December, and the time is fast approaching to settle that debt. Next season, who knows how high Ambrosini will set the bar?

FIFA President attends FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter attended the festivities to mark the 100th anniversary of the Croatian Football Federation today in Zagreb. Held in the Croatian National Theatre, the historical and enthralling ceremony was also attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanovic, the Head of the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia Vito Tursic, the Minister of Science, Education and Sports Zeljko Jovanovic, the UEFA President and FIFA Vice-President Michel Platini and of course the President of the Croatian Football Federation Davor Suker. “Today is a historic day for Croatian football. I want to congratulate all those who have helped build its history, development and success, and in particular today's Chairman of the Croatian FA, Davor Suker," said President Blatter. "He symbolizes the numerous great football names coming from this country. I want to thank Croatian football for what it has brought to the development of the game internationally and I wish Croatian football the very best for the years to come." We are proud to be from a generation which won a bronze medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, but now we have to look towards the future. Davor Suker, President of the Croatian Football Federation Chairing the Croatian Football Federation since July 2012, former star striker Davor Suker was capped 68 times with the Croatian national team, for which he scored no less than 45 goals. "We are proud of celebrating 100 years of football in Croatia. We are proud to be from a generation which won a bronze medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ in France, but now we have to look towards the future," Suker said. "Football brings people together. We have a responsibility towards the Game, we have to follow the principles of fair play. Players, officials, fans, all together. We also need facilities with the highest standards." Croatia participated to three FIFA World Cups to date (1998, 2002 and 2006). It recorded its biggest success in 1998 in France with an impressive bronze medal. Croatia are currently second in their qualifying group for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014. Before the Centennial ceremony, the FIFA President was received by the President of the Republic of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic. The pair enjoyed a very friendly, in-depth and fruitful discussion, mostly about the social dimension of football, its development and its role for education.

Organising Commitee approves draw The Organising Committee for the FIFA Confederations Cup today (30 November) convened for its first meeting regarding the 2013 edition, which will take place from 15 to 30 June 2013 in Brazil. Opening the meeting, FIFA President Joseph Blatter welcomed the president of the Zimbabwe Football Association, Cuthbert Dube, and the president of the Croatian Football Association, Davor Suker - top goal scorer at the 1998 FIFA World Cup - as new members of the committee. The committee was chaired by deputy chairman and FIFA Executive Committee member, Jacques Anouma. “It is great to see such huge excitement for the FIFA Confederations Cup here in Brazil,” said Blatter. “This excitement has been clearly reflected in the huge success of 130,000 tickets being sold in the Visa pre-sales phase, which concluded today. Everybody has high anticipation for this ‘Festival of Champions’, from the teams to the fans and the government. The attendance of the high profiles attendees from the host country and cities at tomorrow’s draw underlines Brazil’s commitment from Brazil.” Although 98 per cent of the 132,795 tickets sold in the pre-sale phase were bought by Brazilians, there will also be briefs going to buyers from eight other nations: namely USA, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Peru, Spain, Japan and England (ranked by number of tickets sold). Most tickets were bought in Belo-Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, with more than 30,000, followed by Fortaleza (20,000-plus), Brasilia (17,000), Salvador (15,000) and Recife (12,000). The most popular matches were the opening match and final. The most popular match was the semi-final in Belo-Horizonte followed by the opening match and final. Tickets for all matches including category four – which is exclusive to Brazilians - will go on the public sale on 3 December as of 09h00 Brazilian time, two days after the draw, via FIFA.com. For further details, please visit the ticketing info brochure published on FIFA.com. Furthermore, Sunday will see a promotional campaign for the FIFA Confederations Cup will be rolled out across Brazil. After an update on the preparations in the six host cities, the committee approved the procedures for the official draw, which will take place tomorrow (1 December) at the Anhembi Convention Centre in Sao Paulo. The eight teams will be divided evenly into the two team pots. They will then be drawn one by one into two groups – A and B – and their position within Groups A and B will be determined by drawing balls from the respective group pots. Pot 1 contains hosts Brazil, world champions Spain and the two next-highest seeded teams according to the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking of November 2012, Italy and Uruguay. Pot 2 comprises Japan, Mexico, Tahiti and the yet-to-be-decided African champions, who will be known on 10 February 2013. The committee also discussed the FIFA Confederations Cup regulations, which will be submitted to the FIFA Executive Committee meeting for approval at its meeting on the 14 December in Tokyo. The main point will be the proposed inclusion of drinking and cooling procedures recommended by the FIFA Medical Committee. Furthermore, the importance of a green FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup was underlined by explaining the various initiatives that will aim to reduce the negative and increase the positive impact of the event on society and the environment. For further details please visit the 2014 FIFA World Cup Sustainability section on FIFA.com. The next meeting will be on 19 March in Zurich.

Zheng Zhi: China For both China PR and Zheng Zhi, 2002 marked a year to remember. The world's most populous nation sealed their maiden FIFA World Cup™ appearance while Zheng, then 22-years-old, was crowned Chinese Player of the Year. A decade on and things have, however, changed greatly. China's bid for a return to the global extravaganza at Brazil 2014 ended in failure for a third time in a row, but Zheng Zhi reaped top personal recognition as one of three nominees for the 2012 AFC Player of the Year, alongside Iran's Ali Karimi and Lee Keunho of Korea Republic. Although he was edged by Lee for Asia's ultimate individual accolade, Zheng was the first Chinese player to come so close since Li Tie in 2003. The feat ensured Chinese fans secured some solace with a happy ending to a largely disappointing year. "I am not too surprised to finish in the top-three for the Asian laurels considering my club's achievements this year," a calm Zheng Zhi told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview after last Thursday's AFC Gala. "It came as a testament to the team's joint efforts and I owe my thanks to everyone at our club." A fruitful year Indeed, in a year during which the national team under-performed, the China and Guangzhou Evergrande captain stood out among his Asian peers largely courtesy of his brilliant club form. A versatile player deft in on-field every role, Zheng Zhi switched between playmaker and defender with Guangzhou as his side won the league and cup double, while also storming into the last eight on their AFC Champions League debut. And it was his leadership throughout the season that helped earn him a place among the continent's best. Particularly, the former Charlton Athletic midfielder skippered Guangzhou to winners of a hard group which also featured 2006 winners Jeonbuk Motors and Japanese champions Kashiwa Reysol. Then a solitary-goal home defeat of FC Tokyo booked them a quarter-final showdown with Al Ittihad. It was a meeting Zheng relished, having lost to the Saudi giants at the same stage with Shandong Luneng in the 2005 edition. Although Guangzhou maintained their thrust by scoring first in both legs, the experienced west Asians kept their cool to scrape through 5-4 on aggregate. "We performed brilliantly in both legs but our lack of Asian experience cost us dearly," recalled the 32-year-old. "We opened brightly both away and home but the rivals were always able to get themselves back into contention. We scored quickly but conceded easily. This was a lesson we must learn." Despite the near-miss, Zheng believes his side, under Marcello Lippi, can live up to expectations in their second foray on the continent next year. "As a World Cup winning coach, Lippi impresses us most with his thirst for success," Zheng continued. "He has won almost everything with Juventus and he can emulate such success with us. He possesses a winning mentality because he takes every match seriously and is always keen to win. He inspired us to success." International ambitions Zheng’s class didn't go unnoticed and China coach Jose Antonio Camacho appointed him national team captain prior to Asia's third qualifying round for Brazil 2014 last year. And the No10 repaid the Spaniard's faith immediately, scoring the crucial equaliser against Singapore. China went on to win the game with Yu Hai sealing the 2-1 victory with a stoppage-time strike. Zheng would start in the next three outings which they all lost. A narrow 2-1 loss in Jordan was followed by back-to-back 1-0 defeats against Iraq. "It was a pity we failed to progress to the next round, although we didn't play badly and we did create our share of opportunities,” he said. “I think we should gain more international exposure to become hardened.” Awaiting China next is qualifying for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, which runs over a 15 month period from February until May 2014. And the draw is by no means kind for the Chinese, who have to battle it out against former champions in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, as well as Indonesia for the two qualifying spots. Despite the daunting task, Zheng sees the campaign as a rare chance for China to redeem themselves on the Asian scene. "It is always a top honour to represent the country so we will spare nothing to get a good result. It is perhaps too early to predict if we can conquer Asia, but at least we must fulfill the initial mission of progressing to Australia 2015.”

alcke: A press conference was held at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo following a meeting of the Organising Committee for the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2012. FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke and Japanese Football Association (JFA) President Kuniya Daini addressed preparations for the tournament, ticket sales and, most importantly, the debut of goal-line technology in football. Jerome Valcke, FIFA Secretary General On the FIFA Club World Cup We are very happy to be here in Tokyo again. We are expecting a great tournament before we bring it to Morocco for the next two years. It is always a pleasure to be here in Japan. On Al-Ahly’s black armbands Al Ahly were given approval at our meeting of the Organising Committee today to wear black armbands in memory of those fans who died in the Port Said tragedy. It was a unanimous decision by the board. On tomorrow’s official debut of goal-line technology It’s a big day. Tomorrow will be the first time that goal-line technology will be officially used in a game. The tests are done; and the instillation tests were successful. This is also an important day for us, because we will use one of the two systems we are using here (Hawk-Eye and GoalRef) in the FIFA Confederations Cup next year. On the origins of goal-line technology We all saw the game between England and Germany during the World Cup in 2010 [When a shot clearly crossed the line, but wasn’t given as a goal]. With that, we restarted the discussion about a system we could use to support the referee. The IFAB (International Football Association Board) met, nine companies applied and two went through the first part of the test and, yesterday, succeeded in the final tests. On the high cost of current systems There will be additional companies coming on the market in the future. The cost will go down. It’s expensive at the moment, but it won’t be forever. Think of the cost of a plasma screen TV some years ago, and look how the price of those has come down. On the system’s accuracy It needs to be the most accurate system we can have at the moment. There can be no mistakes with this and that is why the IFAB took two years to make sure the system was perfect. On the need for goal-line technology This is a kind of revolution. It is the first time that this kind of technology is coming into football. It will be restricted to the goal-line specifically. The IFAB is there to ensure the 17 laws of the game are protected. It was their decision, and they were clear, to say that the technology is limited to the goal-line. We must ensure that when the ball goes into the goal, the referee must get the information that the ball has gone in. The referee has the final decision. The technology won’t change the speed, value or spirit of the game. There is no reason to be against this technology. The referee’s role in the process The referees had a full training with the system yesterday. We will make sure that they know how to use the technology. 90 minutes before each game, the referee will test the system. Based on his test, he will decide whether or not it will be used. This is the way it will be forever. The referee makes the final decision. If he has a doubt, for any reason, he has the right to not use it. The referee is the most important person in this process. Kuniya Daini, President of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the Japan Football Association (JFA) On preparations and tickets for the FIFA Club World Cup It is our pleasure to be hosting the FIFA Club World Cup again, for the second consecutive year. Tickets for the final are almost sold out, but they are available still for all of the other matches. On the tsunami-damaged areas of Japan One year has passed since the tsunami that devastated parts of our country. With the help of FIFA and the world football family, the JFA has been able to extend aid to the affected areas. We still have a way to go and those hard-hit areas still need our support. We will use a slogan for the FIFA Club World Cup to show our support: “Our hearts are with you.”

PSG, Schalke finish The first instalment of Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League saw Paris St Germain and Schalke secure top spot in Group A and Group B respectively, joining Malaga (Group C) and Borussia Dortmund (Group D) as group winners and earning the right to play the second leg of their Round-of-16 duels on home soil in the process. Second-placed quartet Porto, Arsenal, AC Milan and Real Madrid, on the other hand, will hope to build up formidable first-leg leads to see them through to the quarter-finals. Elsewhere, Dynamo Kiev, Olympiacos, Zenit St Petersburg and Ajax will continue their European adventures in the UEFA Europa League. Dinamo Zagreb, Anderlecht, Montpellier and Manchester City, meanwhile, will have to wait until next season to make a more significant mark on the competition. FIFA.com rounds up all the action from Tuesday night. The big game Paris St German 2-1 Porto Goals: Thiago Silva 29, Ezequiel Lavezzi 61 (Paris St Germain); Jackson Martinez 33 (Porto) In a bad-tempered match that was unpredictable right up to the final whistle, Paris St Germain pulled off a significant victory over Porto at Parc des Princes, gaining revenge for their defeat in Portugal and attaining first place in Group A at the same time. The tone was set on the half-hour mark, as Thiago Silva’s powerful header opened the scoring for the French side. Four minutes later, Porto drew level via Jackson Martinez, who escaped his marker to nod Danilo’s pacey cross into the net. The game was decided by an individual error, as Porto goalkeeper Helton let Ezequiel Lavezzi’s near-post effort slip under his body, a miscalculation that was reminiscent of Luis Arconada’s memorable mistake against France in the final of UEFA EURO 1984. The Brazilian custodian partially made amends towards the end of the 90 minutes, saving a goal-bound strike from Javier Pastore, but that did not prevent PSG from stretching their unbeaten run in Europe to 21 matches. The other games Group A Dinamo Zagreb 1-1 Dynamo Kiev Dynamo Kiev appeared to have done enough to earn all three points in the Zagreb snow, having taken the lead through an Andriy Yarmolenko volley that flew in off the bar. But in the final seconds of the match, an Ivan Krstanovic penalty helped the Croatians to pick up their first and only point of the tournament. Group B Montpellier 1-1 Schalke Olympiacos 2-1 Arsenal After drawing 2-2 in Germany earlier in the campaign, Schalke again shared the spoils with Montpellier, but Benedict Howedes’ diving header proved sufficient for the Germans to maintain their unbeaten European record (three wins and three draws) and to secure first place in the section. In Greece, meanwhile, Ioannis Maniatis’ close-range finish and Konstantinos Mitroglou’s superb right-footed shot enabled Olympiacos to overcome a misfiring Arsenal team and exit the event with their heads held high. Group C Malaga 2-2 Anderlecht AC Milan 0-1 Zenit St Petersburg Anderlecht snatched a last-minute point in an exciting encounter with Malaga, whose results will go down as the best ever by group-stage debutants. As if this were not remarkable enough, the Spaniards have also managed to open the scoring in each of their six matches. Another already qualified team, AC Milan, narrowly lost out at home to a motivated Zenit side, who consequently claim third place and the Europa League spot that goes with it. Group D Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Manchester City Real Madrid 4-1 Ajax In the end, Dortmund finished comfortable winners of the ‘group of death’, and did more than enough to see off a lacklustre Manchester City, whose best player on the night was goalkeeper Joe Hart. The winning goal was netted by Julian Schieber, who slid in to poke home a Jakub Blaszczykowski cross. Against Ajax, Real Madrid produced a carbon copy of their triumph in the corresponding away fixture, courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth goal of the competition, one that sees him provisionally lead the race to finish top scorer, a clinical brace from Jose Maria Callejon, and an impressive strike by Kaka. The player 25-year-old Antonio Adan, who was part of Spain’s UEFA U-19 Championship-winning XI in 2006, is usually the back-up ’keeper to Iker Casillas at Real Madrid. But he is also in the process of becoming something of a lucky mascot for Los Blancos, having just secured his fourth Champions League victory in as many matches. There are currently two players who jointly hold the record in this particular category, which currently stands at six wins in six games in Europe’s flagship tournament: PSG’s Senegal-born defender Oumar Dieng in 1994 and Spartak Moscow defensive midfielder Vassily Kulkov in 1995. Goal of the night AC Milan 0-1 Zenit St Petersburg, Danny 35 Danny burst into the left-hand side of the Milan box and slipped the ball inside for Sergei Semak, who was immediately closed down by two Italian defenders. The ball found its way back to the Portuguese midfielder, whose finely placed shot escaped the outstretched right hand of home No1 Christian Abbiati, giving Zenit a lead they would maintain until the final whistle. The stat 13 – The number of consecutive years that Arsenal have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, including nine seasons as group winners. The Gunners were playing familiar foes in the form of Olympiacos on Tuesday evening, as they have been drawn with the Greeks for three out of the last four campaigns. The Piraeus-based side’s 2-1 win was the sixth successive time that the home team has emerged victorious in this fixture. Have your say What are the reasons behind Manchester City’s disappointing Champions League campaign?

Gedo: Better known as Gedo, Mohamed Nagy has shown that Al-Ahly SC’s decision to doggedly track down his signature was a wise one. In the two years since he burst on to the international scene by helping Egypt land the 2010 CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, the 28-year-old forward has become a true star for the Red Devils. He underlined his worth to the Egyptian side by scoring five crucial goals in their triumphant 2012 CAF Champions League campaign, including a hat-trick in the semi-final defeat of Nigeria’s Sunshine Stars and his side’s all-important opener in the second leg of the final against Esperance of Tunisia. That success earned them a place at the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2012. Just before jetting off to the Far East, Gedo sat down for a chat with FIFA.com and looked ahead to his first appearance in the competition and his club’s fourth overall. FIFA.com: It’s been a traumatic year for Al-Ahly, hasn’t it? Gedo: Yes, it’s been a testing season and the Port Said tragedy, where 72 supporters lost their lives, was very difficult to come to terms with. It affected me personally and we really didn’t feel like playing football anymore. The only thing that got us going again was the promise we made to the families of the martyrs to win the Champions League in their honour. Do you think that your CAF Champions League win went some way to easing their pain? I hope so, though nothing can make up for the loss of a son. I hope us winning that title helped a little for them. It’s the least we could have done for them. Let’s talk about the final. The first leg at the Borg Al Arab ended in a 1-1 draw. How did you feel about your chances of winning the return in Tunis? We were more focused than ever going into the second leg and our only aim was to win the title. They held us to a draw at home, for sure, but in a way that helped us because it meant we had nothing to lose. We gave it everything and I think we played one of the best games in Al-Ahly’s history. We really deserved the win. I’m looking to score in every game I play. Al-Ahly's Gedo Your goals proved vital all the way through the competition, though you failed to get on the scoresheet in the first leg of the final. Did you think you’d make up for it in Rades in the return? Obviously I’m looking to score in every game I play. It was a tough game for us, but my team-mates stepped it up a level. I’d never have scored that goal without their help. I put the ball in the back of the net, but it was the whole team that made possible. Did you feel nervous at all about partnering El Sayed Hamdi in attack against Esperance? Not at all. He’s one of those guys I love playing with and we had a perfect understanding in the semi-final against Sunshine Stars. He’s a talented player with a lot of skill. He laid on the pass for the goal I scored in Rades and he got our equaliser in the first leg at Borg Al Arab. I hope our partnership will be just as productive in Japan, if not more so. What was the trickiest moment of your Champions League campaign and who was the toughest team you faced? Stade Malien caused us lots of problems. There was a lot of political instability and insecurity there when we went over for the first leg, and in the return game in Egypt we fell a goal behind, which meant we had to score three to go through. Aboutrika turned the tie around with a miracle hat-trick, scoring twice in the last ten minutes. Quite a few of your team-mates, such as Mohamed Aboutrika, Mohamed Barakat, Wael Gomaa and Emad Moteab, have already played in a FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. Which new star will Al-Ahly be unveiling to the world this year? The team’s packed with great players and it’s not easy to pick one out. All I know is we can go far and I can guarantee the Japanese fans that we’ll be putting on a show. Al-Ahly have played in three FIFA Club World Cups to date, though this is your first time. What are you expecting from the competition? Are there any teams and players you’re looking forward to coming up against? I’m delighted to be here and play in my first FIFA competition. I hope we can reach the final and take on Chelsea and [Fernando] Torres, who’s one of my favourite players. Rumour has it you might be leaving Al-Ahly. Is there any truth in that? I’ve received offers from a few clubs, but I don’t think this is the right time to be talking about that. We need to wait until we get back from Japan to see if the Egyptian championship is going to start up again. If it doesn’t, I’ll have to leave the club.