From shoe seller to World Cup stage: The remarkable rise of Egypt’s Mostafa Zico

Less than a decade ago, Mostafa Zico was selling sports shoes in a small shop in Shebeen El Kom, playing in Egypt’s second division and wondering if his football dream would ever become reality.

Today, he has scored against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in a World Cup knockout match.

This is the story of a journey built on sacrifice, resilience, and a brother who gave up everything so Mostafa could keep chasing his dream.

A childhood shattered, a brother’s sacrifice

Mostafa Mohamed Zaky Abdelraouf — known to the football world as Mostafa Zico — was born on April 27, 1997, in Alexandria. But his childhood was forever altered when he lost his father at just 14 years old.

The tragedy hit the family hard. Suddenly, the teenage Mostafa had to step up, working in the family clothing shop to help support his mother and siblings while still clinging to his football dreams.

But the heaviest burden fell on his older brother, Abdelraouf.

Abdelraouf was a promising footballer himself, playing for Gomhoriat Shebin and dreaming of bigger clubs and the Egypt national team. He was just 17 when their father died. Faced with the responsibility of supporting the family, he made the gut-wrenching decision to walk away from his own career so his younger brother could continue.

“I decided to stop playing football to prioritise Mostafa’s career,” Abdelraouf later told AFP.

He passed on more than just the opportunity — he passed on his nickname too. Abdelraouf was known on the pitch as “Zico,” a nod to the family name Zaky and the admiration their father had for the legendary Brazilian footballer. When Mostafa started playing, coaches called him “little Zico.” When Abdelraouf stopped, Mostafa became simply Zico.

Eventually, the family closed the shop entirely to focus on Mostafa’s journey.

The long road through Egypt’s divisions

Zico began his senior career with Gomhoriat Shebin in Egypt’s second division. In 2019, he moved to Haras El Hodoud in the Egyptian Premier League. But promotion was followed by relegation back to the second tier.

Most players might have given up. Zico stayed.

His perseverance paid off. He helped Haras El Hodoud earn promotion back to the top flight — and became one of the reasons for their return. In 2023, he joined ZED FC, where he established himself as one of the most dangerous forwards in the second division. Two years later, he moved to Pyramids FC, one of Egypt’s biggest clubs, and helped them win the Egypt Cup in May.

His top-flight debut came at the age of 27 — an age when many players have already reached their competitive peak.

A World Cup call-up that came out of nowhere

Zico had been called up to the Egypt national team at the end of 2022 under Rui Vitoria — but didn’t play a single minute. He was later dropped entirely.

So when Hossam Hassan called him for the final training camp before the 2026 World Cup, Zico was stunned. He had been preparing to spend his summer holidays on Egypt’s north coast.

“From the beach to the World Cup in a matter of hours,” he later joked.

He made the most of the opportunity. On his debut, he came off the bench to score the winner in a friendly against Russia (1-0). Then, in a friendly against Brazil, he capitalised on a Marquinhos mistake to score Egypt’s only goal in a 2-1 defeat — a strike that earned him a video message of congratulations from the original Zico himself.

Making history on the biggest stage

At the World Cup, Zico became the first Egyptian player in history to score and assist in the same World Cup match, achieving the feat in Egypt’s historic 3-1 victory over New Zealand — the Pharaohs’ first-ever World Cup win. He scored the equaliser and then assisted Mohamed Salah for Egypt’s second goal.

Against Argentina in the Round of 16, Zico doubled Egypt’s lead in the 67th minute with a clinical finish. For 80 minutes, he was a nightmare for the defending champions — converting his only shot of the game into a goal. He had actually scored a second goal earlier from a stunning counterattack, but it was controversially disallowed by VAR for a foul in the build-up.

Argentina fought back to win 3-2 with two late goals. Egypt’s World Cup was over.

But Zico’s story was already written.

‘I dedicate this to my brother, who was like a father to me’

After Egypt’s victory over New Zealand, an emotional Zico dedicated his performance to the man who made it all possible.

“I dedicate this victory and the goal to my mother and my brother Abdelraouf, who was like a father to me after our own died,” he said.

His words captured the essence of a journey that began in a small shoe shop, passed through the pain of losing a father and the sacrifice of a brother, and ended — for now — on the biggest stage in football.

Zico’s story is not just a football tale, but an inspiring human story of a young man who started from a small shoe shop, went through relegation and exclusion, and came back to stand among the world’s stars in the Egypt shirt.

Less than a decade ago, he was selling shoes and playing in the second division. Now, he has scored against the world champions and written his name alongside Egypt’s greatest footballers.

And he insists this is only the beginning.