Omar Marmoush: The rise of Egypt’s next footballing icon

On July 8, 2016, a little-known, fresh-faced 17-year-old took to the touchline in the second half of an Egyptian Premier League game at the Alexandria Stadium. This was Omar Marmoush, warming up, ready to make his professional football debut for local team Wadi Degla. It was a modest start to what would become a meteoric, ongoing rise, which hit its soaring peak last week when Marmoush became the most expensive Egyptian player in football history, signing with reigning English Premier League champions Manchester City for £59 million.

Marmoush’s path from a gifted youth player to a celebrated talent in Europe mirrors that of another Egyptian forward you may have heard of. And like his country’s greatest-ever footballer, Marmoush’s rise has not been instantaneous but years in the making. After breaking through at Wadi Degla, the forward joined VfL Wolfsburg’s reserve team in 2017. Over the next three years, he scored 11 goals in 36 games for VfL Wolfsburg’s second team, gradually building his reputation until he earned his senior debut in a 4-1 Bundesliga victory over Bayer Leverkusen on May 26, 2020.

Less than two months after that, Marmoush had signed his first senior contract with VfL Wolfsburg and made his European debut against Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League. He made 41 appearances and scored five goals for VfL Wolfsburg’s first team, and his time with the club also included loan stints at FC St. Pauli and VfB Stuttgart, with whom the Cairo-born forward won Bundesliga Rookie of the Month in September 2021. Around this time, Marmoush also cemented his place in Egypt’s national team, playing a role in the team’s journey to the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations final.

Marmoush’s growing stature caught the attention of Eintracht Frankfurt, who signed him on a free transfer in the summer of 2023. At Frankfurt, the Cairo-born forward’s evolution was startling. His goal-scoring prowess reached new heights as he found the back of the net 27 times in just 46 appearances – averaging better than a goal every other game. In the 2024-25 season, he had scored 15 goals in 17 Bundesliga matches, second only to England captain Harry Kane.

Unsurprisingly, this incredible form drew attention from many of Europe’s elite clubs – including Mohamed Salah’s. Ultimately, Marmoush signed for Manchester City in January 2025 for an eye-watering £59 million. This transfer has not only made him the most expensive Egyptian footballer ever but also the second-most-expensive transfer of 2025’s January window. 

Marmoush’s arrival at Manchester City marks a monumental moment, not just for him but for Egyptian football as a whole. As he made his debut for England’s reigning champions against Chelsea, an almost uniquely singular buzz was palpable around the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City’s star striker Erling Haaland said that Egypt’s newest footballing sensation “has something special” after the game. Egyptian footballing legend Mido, who handed Marmoush his Wadi Degla debut all the way back in 2016, also showered him with similar praise after his debut – in which Marmoush constantly troubled Chelsea’s back-line, even finding the back of the net in the first-half for an effort that was ruled offside. 

But the impact of Marmoush’s rise extends way beyond just football. It has sparked a wave of cultural pride and celebration across the Arab world. His Instagram followers have doubled in the last month, and his posts about his transfer and debut have garnered over 1.5 million likes each. Seeing him become the first Egyptian player to sign for Manchester City is offering joy, hope and inspiration to young players in the SWANA region. It is a reminder of the tenacity, flair, and talent nurtured in the region. That kids from Cairo or Basyoun who start their careers with local Egyptian Clubs can make it big in Europe, too. That they are as capable of thriving in Europe’s top leagues as those from São Paulo, London, or Barcelona.

Marmoush’s rise also serves as a reminder of Egyptian football’s resilience in the face of adversity. The Port Said Stadium riot in 2012, in which seventy-four people were killed and which led to the suspension of the Egyptian Premier League for two years, forced many young players to seek opportunities abroad, and Marmoush’s success is another testament to this generation’s of Egyptian footballers’ adaptability and determination.

In fact, the potential cultural implications of this historic transfer cannot be overstated. Mohamed Salah’s arrival at Liverpool in 2017 catalysed a remarkable decline in Islamophobia in Merseyside, with hate crimes dropping by nearly 19 per cent, according to a Stanford University study. Salah’s success reshaped perceptions of Muslims in British football and beyond. Marmoush’s move to Manchester City has the potential to similarly challenge bigotry and foster inclusivity in a sporting culture that continues to be plagued by orientalism, ethnocentrism and hooliganism. 

The recurring use of descriptions and nicknames centring around “Pharaoh” by fans and media to describe Marmoush already underscores the reductive tendencies in Western football culture to distil Egyptian identity into clichés and stereotypes – not too dissimilarly to using words like ‘fast’ and ‘powerful’ to describe Black players. While often well-intentioned, such characterisations highlight the need for more nuanced representations of players and cultures from the Global South – and Marmoush scoring goals for one of the world’s best clubs could open a pathway to such discussions. 

Regardless, from debuting in a league game in Alexandria to playing in front of over 50,000 fans at the Etihad Stadium, Marmoush’s journey is an example of the endurance of Egyptian footballing culture. And if he manages to have anywhere near as significant an impact as Salah has had since he joined Liverpool, then Marmoush could also play a role in upending prejudices, xenophobia and Islamophobia in what remains a very reactionary sporting culture. All this at a time when fascist, racist, and Islamophobic sentiment is burgeoning in the UK, Europe, and beyond.