Stephan El Shaarawy
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Stephan El Shaarawy (born 27 October 1992) is an Italian professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...
who plays as a winger for club
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
and the Italy national team. He is nicknamed ''Il Faraone'' (The Pharaoh), as his father is
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
ian. El Shaarawy began his career at
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
, and was signed by
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
in 2011 after a successful loan at
Padova Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
. Frequently regarded as one of the most promising youngsters of his generation, El Shaarawy had his breakthrough in the first half of the 2012–13 season. Following several long periods out of action due to injuries, he spent the 2015–16 season on loan with
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
and subsequently Roma, signing permanently for the latter club at the end of the season. In 2019, he transferred to Chinese club
Shanghai Greenland Shenhua Shanghai Shenhua F.C. () is a Chinese professional football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under license from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The term ''shen hua'' literally translates as "the Flower of Shanghai" in ...
, before making a return to Roma eighteen months later. Internationally, El Shaarawy represented Italy from under-16 to under-21 levels. In August 2012, he made his debut for the senior team in a friendly against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, and in November of that year scored his first international goal against
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He represented Italy at the
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was the ninth FIFA Confederations Cup, which was held in Brazil from 15 to 30 June 2013 as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The most recent winners of the six continental championships appeared in the tour ...
, where they finished in third place, and at
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
.


Early life

Stephan El Shaarawy was born on 27 October 1992 in the Italian comune
Savona Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italy, Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chie ...
, to an Egyptian father and a
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...
- Italian mother.


Club career


Genoa

El Shaarawy started his youth career with
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
at the age of fourteen. On 21 December 2008, when he was sixteen years old, El Shaarawy made his first team debut, playing ten minutes in a
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
away match against Chievo; he is currently the eighth youngest player in the history of Serie A to have made his debut in the Italian top division. It was his only appearance of the season despite making the bench several times.


Loan to Padova

In June 2010, El Shaarawy was loaned out to
Padova Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
for the
2010–11 Serie B The 2010–11 Serie B (known as the Serie bwin for sponsorship reasons) is the seventy-ninth season since its establishment in 1929, and the first one under the rule of the new Lega Serie B. A total of 22 teams contest the league, 15 of which retu ...
season. He quickly emerged as a key element for the team, leading the Venetian club to the promotion play-off finals, where they then lost to
Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It i ...
. For his performances with Padova, El Shaarawy would be awarded the 2011
Serie B Footballer of the Year The AIC Serie B Young Footballer of the Year ( it, Migliore giovane della Serie B ''AIC'') is a yearly award organized by the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC) given to the young footballer who has been considered to have performed the best ov ...
.


AC Milan


2011–12: Progression to the first team

On 25 June 2011, El Shaarawy signed for Serie A giants
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
for a €20 million transfer fee (€10 million plus
Alexander Merkel Alexander Merkel ( kk, Александр Меркель; born 22 February 1992) is a Kazakh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Süper Lig club Gaziantep and the Kazakhstan national team. Born in Kazakhstan to parents of Germ ...
). He made his debut for the club on 18 September 2011 at the Stadio San Paolo, in a 3–1 league loss to Napoli. Three days later, after coming on as a substitute for the injured Alexandre Pato, he scored his first goal for Milan, earning his side a 1–1 draw at home against Udinese. In his first six months at Milan, El Shaarawy made a total of seven appearances, leading to reports in the media that he may be loaned out for more playing time to help his progression. However a decision was then made between vice-president Adriano Galliani, coach Massimiliano Allegri and himself to stay at the club for the near future. It was then that El Shaarawy's performances for Milan began to improve, leading him to become one of the most highly rated youngsters in Italy. On 8 February 2012, El Shaarawy scored in a 1–2 loss against
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...
in the first leg of Milan's
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
semi-final. Three days later, he scored a crucial winner against Udinese.


2012–13: Breakthrough season

On 25 July 2012, El Shaarawy signed a new five-year contract with Milan. On 3 October 2012, he scored his first
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
goal against Zenit Saint Petersburg, becoming Milan's youngest ever goalscorer in the competition at the age of 19 years and 342 days. He then got two goals against Napoli on 18 November to help Milan equalise after being 2–0 down and save them from losing an important game. El Shaarawy continued his fine form by scoring another brace in a 3–1 away win against
Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also b ...
two weeks later. He added a further goal in a 4–2 win at
Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
on 9 December, and scored again in a 4–1 victory against Pescara in the following match, earning Milan a fourth consecutive win to help them rise up in the table. He finished the first half of the season as Serie A's top scorer with fourteen goals, and also as Milan's top scorer in all competitions with sixteen. In 2012, El Shaarawy was named one of the top players born after 1991 by ''
Don Balón ''Don Balón'' is a Spanish weekly sports magazine specializing in Spanish and international football. The magazine was published in Barcelona between 1975 and 2011. It was distributed on five continents. Since 2011 ''Don Balón'' has been a full ...
'', and was listed 52nd in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
s list of the best footballers in the world. He also won the league's Best Young Revelation award, given to the most promising youngster in Serie A. On 28 February 2013, El Shaarawy ended speculation regarding his future by extending his contract for a further season, running until June 2018. In the second half of the 2012–13 campaign, he struggled to find his best form, but Milan CEO Adriano Galliani defended El Shaarawy by stating that his goals kept Milan's hopes of a top three finish in the league alive.


2013–15: Injury-hit campaigns

After weeks of speculation surrounding his future, Milan officially announced on 2 July 2013 that El Shaarawy would not leave the club in the summer
transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...
. On 20 August, he scored his first competitive club goal since February 2013 against
PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, w ...
in Milan's Champions League play-off first leg draw. The first half of the season was marred by injuries as El Shaarawy made only seven appearances in all competitions for Milan. On 28 December, after a surgery on his right foot failed to heal effectively, he was ruled out for a further ten weeks. El Shaarawy made his return to the side on 11 May 2014, in a 1–2 league loss against
Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily kno ...
. In Milan's first league match of the 2014–15 season against
Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
, El Shaarawy assisted
Keisuke Honda is a Japanese professional football manager and former player. he is the current general manager & head coach of the Cambodia U-23. A versatile player, Honda usually played as an attacking midfielder, but could also play as a winger, a fa ...
's goal in the seventh minute. On 8 November 2014, he scored his first Serie A goal in 622 days against Sampdoria with a curling strike from outside the box, and fell to the floor in tears. After a long absence following another injury, El Shaarawy scored a double in Milan's 3–0 home victory over
Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
on 24 May 2015. He made just 28 appearances in all competitions during the last two campaigns.


Loan to Monaco

On 13 July 2015, El Shaarawy joined
Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...
club
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
on a season-long loan with an option to buy. He made his debut two weeks later, replacing
Anthony Martial Anthony Jordan Martial (; born 5 December 1995) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the France national team. After playing youth football for Les Ulis, Martial began his pr ...
for the final seven minutes of a 3–1 away win over Young Boys in the Champions League third qualifying round. In the second leg at the
Stade Louis II The Stade Louis II () is a stadium located in the Fontvieille district of Monaco. It serves primarily as a venue for football, being the home of AS Monaco and the Monaco national football team. The stadium is most notable for its distinctive n ...
, his first start, he scored his first Monaco goal in a 4–0 win. Before the start of the January transfer window, El Shaarawy was frozen out of the squad, as he had already played 24 games in all official competitions, one game short from activating the conditional obligation to buy him outright.


Roma

On 26 January 2016, El Shaarawy joined
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
on a loan deal until 30 June 2016, for a fee of €1.4 million. The agreement included an option to make the deal permanent, for a fee of €13 million, before the beginning of the 2016–17 season. Four days later, on his Roma debut, he scored a half scorpion flicked back heel goal in the 48th minute of a 3–1 home win over
Frosinone Frosinone (, local dialect: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is located about south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of the Va ...
; he then scored in the following match against
Sassuolo Sassuolo (; egl, label=Modenese dialect, Modenese, Sasól ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town ...
three days later to seal a 2–0 away victory. In Roma's final match of the season on 14 May, El Shaarawy scored against his parent club Milan as his side won 3–1 at the
San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...
and finished third in the league. On 21 June 2016, Roma opted to buy out El Shaarawy's loan from Milan for the €13 million, keeping him at the club until 2020. On 20 May 2017, he scored twice against Chievo, helping Roma to a 5–3 victory to continue his three-game scoring streak. In Roma's 3–0 Champions League group stage win over
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
on 31 October 2017, El Shaarawy bagged two first half goals, including one within the first 40 seconds of the match from 25 yards out.


Shanghai Greenland Shenhua

On 8 July 2019, El Shaarawy joined
Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...
club
Shanghai Greenland Shenhua Shanghai Shenhua F.C. () is a Chinese professional football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under license from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The term ''shen hua'' literally translates as "the Flower of Shanghai" in ...
for €16 million. He made his debut for the club on 2 August 2019 in a league game against
Wuhan Zall Wuhan Yangtze River Football Club, formerly Wuhan Zall Football Club (), is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in ...
. He then scored his first goal in China on 15 August, netting in a 2–2 draw against Tianjin Tianhai. At the end of his debut season with the club, El Shaarawy lifted the 2019 Chinese FA Cup, scoring in the second leg of Shanghai Greenland Shenhua's final victory against
Shandong Luneng Taishan Shandong Taishan Football Club () is a professional football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Jinan, Shandong and their home stadium is ...
.


Return to Roma

On 30 January 2021, El Shaarawy rejoined Roma on a free transfer. He scored his first goal since his return to the club 677 days after his last, getting Roma's second in their 3–0 Europa League round of 16 win over
Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...
on 11 March 2021.


International career

El Shaarawy was qualified to play for the
Egypt national football team The Egypt national football team ( ar, منتخب مصر لكرة القدم), known colloquially as "the Pharaohs", represents Egypt in men's FIFA, international Association football, football, and is governed by the Egyptian Football Associati ...
through his father, but was denied by coach Hassan Shehata stating that "not every Egyptian playing for a foreign league qualifies to play for the national side". This comment however is contradicted by El Shaarawy himself, as he has stated that he preferred to play for the Italian team. As his father also possessed the nationality from previously living there, El Shaarawy was also eligible to play for
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
.


Youth teams

El Shaarawy was called up to play with the Italy under-17 team, taking part in both the 2009 UEFA U-17 Euro and the
2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the thirteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Nigeria from 24 October to 15 November 2009. The tournament was won by Switzerland, beating the host team and holders, Nigeria. The Golden Ball to the Be ...
. He made his debut with the Italy under-21 team on 15 November 2011, in a qualifying match against
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
.


Senior team

On 15 August 2012, El Shaarawy made his senior debut for
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, starting in a 1–2 friendly defeat against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. He scored his first goal for Italy in his third appearance, getting the opener in a 1–2 friendly loss to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
on 14 November 2012. El Shaarawy represented Italy at the
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was the ninth FIFA Confederations Cup, which was held in Brazil from 15 to 30 June 2013 as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The most recent winners of the six continental championships appeared in the tour ...
, and made his tournament debut in his country's final group game against hosts
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, replacing
Alessandro Diamanti Alessandro Diamanti (; born 2 May 1983) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for A-League club Western United. At club level, he has previously played for Prato, Empoli, Fucecchio, Fiorentina, AlbinoLeffe, West Ham Uni ...
for the final nineteen minutes of a 2–4 defeat. He returned for the third-place play-off, playing the entire match and scoring a penalty in Italy's shoot-out success against
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. El Shaarawy was not included in Italy's
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
squad, after missing most of the 2013–14 club season through injury. On 10 October 2015, El Shaarawy ended a three-year goal drought, scoring the winner in Italy's 3–1 away victory over
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match; this was his first international goal since November 2012, and the win guaranteed Italy a place at the final tournament. On 31 May 2016, he was named to
Antonio Conte Antonio Conte (; born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Playing as a midfielder, Conte began his career at local club Lecce and later b ...
's 23-man Italy squad for the upcoming championship in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He made his only appearance at Euro 2016 on 22 June, coming off the bench in Italy's final group match against the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. On 15 October 2019, El Shaarawy returned to the national team for the first time since Italy's 2018 FIFA World Cup playoff defeat to
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
two years earlier, being substituted on and scoring the fourth goal in a 5–0 Euro 2020 qualifying away win over
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
. He got a brace in Italy's 6–0 friendly victory against
Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...
on 7 October 2020.


Style of play

Since his breakthrough season, El Shaarawy was considered to be an up-and-coming, potentially world-class player, and one of the most promising and talented young Italian players. A versatile and hard-working forward, he primarily plays as a
left winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
, a position which allows him to cut into the centre onto his stronger right foot and either attempt a shot at goal or create chances for teammates; he can also play as an
attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...
, as a
second striker Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
, on the right flank, as a
centre forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
, or even as striker, due to his eye for goal. Eric Steitz has noted that El Shaarawy is mainly known for his pace and agility, as well as his "outstanding
dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. A ...
ability and technical skill". He has also stated that El Shaarawy has often demonstrated his shooting power and goalscoring ability with strikes from outside the box, and has described the player as an "above-average passer", who "creates space with a solid first-touch". El Shaarawy's playing style has drawn comparisons with
FIFA World Player of the Year The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, between 1991 and 2015 at the FIFA World Player Gala. Coaches and captains of international teams and media representativ ...
winner
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
. El Shaarawy cites former Milan
playmaker In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...
Kaká Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime as a playmaker at AC Milan, a period marke ...
as his role model. Milan legend
José Altafini José João Altafini (; born 24 July 1938), also known as "Mazzola" in Brazil (as when he started to play it was noted that he resembled the Italian legend Valentino Mazzola), is an Italian-Brazilian former footballer, who played as a forward. ...
compared El Shaarawy to Brazilian international
Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Sain ...
and six-time
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (fo ...
winner
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
: "El Shaarawy reminds me of Neymar and Messi. They have a low center of gravity. They play with the ball glued to their feet. He has already proven that he's a good player. The important thing is not to bulk him up too much". In spite of his talent, however, he has often struggled with injuries.


Sponsorship

In 2012, El Shaarawy signed a sponsorship deal with American sportswear and equipment supplier,
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
. He appeared in an advert for the new Nike Green Speed II alongside
Mario Götze Mario Götze (born 3 June 1992) is a German professional footballer who plays for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and the Germany national team. Although his favoured position is that of a playmaker, Götze has also played as a false nin ...
,
Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and vision, Hazard is considered o ...
,
Raheem Sterling Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for club Chelsea. Born in Jamaica, he represents the England national team. Born in Jamaica to Jamaican parents, St ...
,
Christian Eriksen Christian Dannemann Eriksen (born 14 February 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and the Denmark national team. He is renowned for his vision, technique, passing, and fr ...
and
Theo Walcott Theo James Walcott (born 16 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Southampton and previously for the English national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton Academy and started his career with So ...
in November 2012. El Shaarawy appears on the Italian cover of ''
FIFA 14 ''FIFA 14'' is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released in September 2013 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStati ...
'', alongside global cover star
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each El Shaarawy goal.''


Honours


Club

Genoa Youth *
Campionato Nazionale Primavera The Campionato Nazionale Primavera – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti, was an Italian football youth competition. It is organised by the Lega Serie A and the participating teams that take part in Serie A and Serie B: the first edition was held in th ...
: 2009–10 *
Coppa Italia Primavera The Coppa Italia Primavera (Italian for Spring Italian Cup) is an Italian football competition played by youth teams from Campionato Primavera. All players are under 20 of age. The first edition was held in the 1972–73 season. Due to sponsorshi ...
: 2008–09 *
Supercoppa Primavera The Supercoppa Primavera is an Italian youth teams football match played by the winners of the Campionato Primavera championship and the winners of the Coppa Italia Primavera at the beginning of the season. The competition has been held since 200 ...
: 2009 Shanghai Shenhua * Chinese FA Cup: 2019 Chinese FA Cup, 2019 Roma * UEFA Europa Conference League: 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League, 2021–22 Italy * FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2013


Individual

* UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Championship#Team of the Tournament, 2009 *
Serie B Footballer of the Year The AIC Serie B Young Footballer of the Year ( it, Migliore giovane della Serie B ''AIC'') is a yearly award organized by the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC) given to the young footballer who has been considered to have performed the best ov ...
: 2011 * Gran Galà del Calcio#Serie A Best Young Revelation, Gran Galà del Calcio AIC Serie A Best Young Revelation: 2012 * Pallone d'Argento: 2012–13


References


External links


Profile
on A.C. Milan, AC Milan's official website * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:El Shaarawy, Stephan 1992 births Living people People from Savona Italian people of Egyptian descent Italian people of Swiss descent Italian sportspeople of African descent Italian footballers Association football forwards Genoa C.F.C. players Calcio Padova players A.C. Milan players AS Monaco FC players A.S. Roma players Shanghai Shenhua F.C. players Serie A players Serie B players Ligue 1 players Chinese Super League players Italy youth international footballers Italy under-21 international footballers Italy international footballers 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup players UEFA Euro 2016 players Italian expatriate footballers Italian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco Italian expatriate sportspeople in China Expatriate footballers in Monaco Expatriate footballers in China Footballers from Liguria Sportspeople from the Province of Savona UEFA Europa Conference League winning players