Egypt were minutes away from pulling off the upset of the summer, sending Lionel Messi and Argentina out of the World Cup in the round of 16, and Egypt’s Haissem Hassan was the standout.
The 24-year-old was a relative unknown coming into the tournament, but he has announced himself to the world with a performance fit for the magnitude of this tie — assisting the second goal and taking the game to the opposition throughout.
After playing none of Egypt’s group stage games, Hassan broke into the side against Australia. On top of the assist, he made a disallowed goal from nothing by carrying the ball the length of the pitch and beating multiple Argentina defenders in the process.
When he left the pitch in the 73rd minute, his team lost that transitional threat, and the defending champions were able to claw their way back.
But who is Egypt’s new superstar?
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Who is Egypt attacker Haissem Hassan?
Hassan is currently playing for Real Oviedo in La Liga 2, where he had a pretty average 2025-26 campaign. The right-winger made 37 appearances, but managed just three assists.
Before Oviedo, he spent time at Chateauroux in France, then Villarreal, CD Mirandes and Sporting Gijon.
On the international stage, he just made his seventh senior appearance for Egypt. Before that, he played for France at U17 level.
A left-footed right-winger, Hassan fits the mould of what Egypt will need when Mohamed Salah finally hangs up his boots. He doesn’t have the numbers, nor the consistency, but the Argentina performance showed what his ceiling is.
An excellent budget transfer option
There will be many clubs in Europe and in the Americas who will be avidly watching this tournament to uncover a hidden gem.
Well based on this performance, Hassan is exactly that. A second-division Spanish side is exactly the kind of shop window top-flight teams on a budget look to. And the left-footer on the right side is an extremely attractive budget.
Now that Egypt are out of the World Cup, he won’t get a chance to strengthen a case for a transfer, but for those who spotted his quality on Tuesday night, they’ve seen all they need to now.
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