The 19-year-old Egyptian winger was impressive in the win over Swansea and could feature again this weekend.
Stoke City have made a habit of adding exciting wingers to their squad in recent years.
Marko Arnautovic, Xherdan Shaqiri and Bojan are among those who have lined up out wide for the Potters this season, and in Ramadan Sobhi it looks as if they have another flair player ready to make life difficult for Premier League defences.
Stoke City’s Ramadan Sobhi celebrates their second goal
The match against Swansea was Sobhi’s fifth appearance for his new side and third in the Premier League, and it was his most impressive to date.
Having replaced Shaqiri inside the opening half an hour, it was Sobhi’s cross that was turned into his own net by Swans defender Alfie Mawson as the hosts went back in front in the second period on their way to an important win.
So who is this promising prospect? Here are five facts about the flying winger.
1) He came through the ranks at Egypt’s top club
Having been born in Cairo, it was perhaps only natural that Sobhi would join up with Al Ahly, who are one of Africa’s most successful clubs with 38 domestic titles and eight African Champions Leagues to their name.
Ramadan Sobhi
Sobhi made his debut for the club at the age of just 16 and helped them win two league titles during his three seasons in the first team – the most recent of which was last season under the guidance of former Tottenham boss Martin Jol.
2) He is not afraid of controversy
Despite still not being out of his teenage years, Sobhi has never been shy and retiring on the pitch.
At Al Ahly, he became famous for a trick whereby he would stand on the ball while waiting for defenders to approach him. He did this twice in local derbies against bitter rivals Zamalek, which enraged their players and caused one Zamalek man to kick out at Sobhi, who later apologised for his showboating.
3) His school commitments got in the way of his international career
Imagine the furore if Marcus Rashford had been forbidden from playing at the European Championships over the summer because he was doing his A-Levels.
Sobhi’s situation was not altogether different in 2015, when he missed Egypt’s crucial African Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania because he was undergoing his school exams.The devastation of the Egyptian fans at his absence spoke volumes for how important Sobhi had become to the national side at such a young age.
Stoke City’s Ramadan Sobhi celebrates their second goal
4) He has drawn comparisons with Egyptian legends
Sobhi’s style of play has been favourably compared to Mohamed Aboutrika, an Egyptian legend who scored 38 goals in 100 matches for the national side but never played his football in Europe.
Stoke fans may be less enamoured in knowing that he has also been likened to former Tottenham and Middlesbrough striker Mido, whose record as the youngest ever player to represent Egypt still stands – Sobhi is now second in that list having made his international debut aged 17 years and 11 months.
Stoke City’s Ramadan Sobhi celebrates their second goal
5) There was interest in him from all around Europe
Sobhi’s impressive performances for Al Ahly and Egypt at such a young age did not go unnoticed, with Egyptian football website King Fut claiming that Arsenal, Sampdoria, Udinese, Roma and RB Leipzig have all been interested in the winger over the course of the past two years.
On the basis of his cameos so far, Mark Hughes and the Stoke faithful will be delighted that he chose the Potteries as his destination; this 19-year-old is certainly one to watch in the coming seasons.
How impressed have you been with Ramadan Sobhi? Leave your thoughts below.
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