This Father’s Day feels a little different.
Maybe it’s because it arrives in the middle of World Cup season — where every match suddenly feels bigger, every celebration lasts a little longer, and football somehow becomes even more about family.
We usually remember the goals, saves and trophies.
But some of the moments that stay with people happen after the whistle: children running onto the pitch, celebrations borrowed from home, or sons growing up to wear the same colours their fathers once did.
Here are some of Egypt’s sweetest football family stories.
Mohamed Salah & Makka and Kayan
If there’s one thing people have gotten used to with Mohamed Salah, it’s that football rarely ends at full time.
Over the years, Makka and Kayan have become familiar faces in some of his biggest moments — joining celebrations, appearing on the pitch after matches and reminding everyone that even one of football’s biggest stars still goes home and gets reviewed.
One of the most iconic examples came years ago when Salah copied one of Makka’s playful expressions in a goal celebration — instantly becoming one of those little football moments fans never forgot.
But his Liverpool goodbye felt different.
Instead of making the moment only about the goals he scored, it became about the people who had been beside him through the journey. Makka and Kayan were part of the farewell — even stepping in to score some of the “final goals” themselves.
Then came the ratings.
Kayan gave her dad a 7/10 and said he still needed to score more goals.
Makka had feedback too: pass to more players.
For someone who’s broken records for years, it felt fitting that his toughest critics were sitting at home all along.
Ahmed Shobair & Mostafa Shobeir
Some football stories feel written before they happen.
Ahmed Shobair stood in goal for Egypt at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, ending a wait that stretched back to 1934. Egypt became difficult to beat and earned memorable draws against both the Netherlands and Ireland.
Ahmed later became one of the most recognisable figures in Egyptian football.
Now in 2026, his son Mostafa Shobeir arrives wearing the same badge and guarding the same net.
Father and son. Both goalkeepers. Both representing Egypt on football’s biggest stage.
Ekramy El-Shahat & Sherif Ekramy
Some families pass down recipes.
Others pass down gloves.
Ekramy El-Shahat built his legacy with Al Ahly and Egypt in the 1970s and 1980s.
Years later, Sherif Ekramy created his own chapter and became Egypt’s first-choice goalkeeper for a generation.
Different eras. Same responsibility.
Mohamed Elneny & Malek
Mohamed Elneny spent eight years at Arsenal, becoming one of those players supporters always appreciated — dependable, respected and somehow always smiling.
Now fans love seeing another version of the story unfolding.
With Malek growing up around football and appearing in moments connected to Arsenal’s academy environment, there’s something really nice about seeing father and son together in the stands, watching matches and sharing the same world from different angles.
Not following in identical footsteps yet — just enjoying football together.
And sometimes that’s the better part.
Mahmoud Trezeguet & Yazan
Sometimes the best football photo isn’t the winning goal.
Mahmoud Trezeguet sharing moments on the pitch with his son Yazan reminds people that after all the pressure and noise, someone small is looking up to his dad and still waiting for a hug.
Those are usually the pictures fans end up saving.
Hamada Emam & Hazem Emam
Some football families become football history.
Yehia Emam stood in goal for Zamalek.
His son Hamada Emam became one of the club’s great names.
Then came Hazem Emam — carrying the family story into another generation and becoming one of Egyptian football’s most recognisable figures.
Three generations.
One football story.
Emam Ashour & Cattaleya
Emam Ashour usually brings intensity onto the pitch.
Off it, fans got something completely different.
One of those moments showed him teasing Cattaleya with his shirt, making her laugh and covering her with kisses — football disappearing for a minute and Dad taking over.
Amr Elsolia & Sophia
Every football family seems to have one tiny coach.
Sophia Elsolia stealing attention while training with her father, Amr Elsolia — and even putting goalkeeper Shobeir through her own mini shooting drills — felt like one of those moments football fans instantly understand.
The goals may be tiny.
The confidence definitely isn’t.
Final whistle
World Cups create heroes.
Fatherhood shows another side of them.
Whether it’s Salah getting tactical advice from home, a son stepping into his father’s gloves, or kids turning the pitch into a playground — these moments remind us that football isn’t only about what gets written in history books.
Sometimes it’s about who’s waiting on the sideline after the match ends.
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