Issam Bahij

Essam Baheeg, an actor and football player for Zamalek Club and the Egyptian national team, was born in Alexandria on February 26, 1931, and died in Cairo after a struggle with illness on December 4, 2008. Issam Bahij married actress and director Nahid Gabr and they had two children. Essam Bahij is a former football player and coach at Zamalek Club, and he is one of the most important symbols of the club and the Egyptian national team. Essam Bahij began playing football for the Mansoura Club in 1946, but left in 1949 to join the Military Academy, from which he joined the Zamalek Club through Haider Pasha, Minister of War and President of the Farouk Club (later Zamalek). He played as a right winger and contributed to the Zamalek Club winning the Egypt Cup 5 times. He was also a direct reason for the Zamalek Club winning the League Shield for the first time in its history in the 1959-1960 season. Essam Bahij played for the Egyptian national team for several years (1953-1960), winning the African Nations Championship in 1959, and contributing to Egypt’s victory in the Mediterranean Championship held in Barcelona in 1955. He retired from football in the early 1960s and participated in the film Hadit al-Madina 1964 with Samira Ahmed, Shweikar, and a group of football players. Then he returned to participate in the television series Zaman Imad al-Din 2002. Issam Bahij coached the National Bank, Dina Farms, Al-Qanat, Al-Sharqia, Al-Tayaran, Sohag and Al-Tersana clubs. He also coached in Qatar, Lebanon and Bahrain. Issam Bahij took over coaching the Zamalek club after the Kumasi setback, in which Zamalek was defeated by the Kotoko club 5/1 in the 1987-1988 season and was able to win the league championship and the Egypt Cup in addition to the Afro-Asian championship for the first time, as well as the friendship championship held in Qatar. Essam Bahij participated in the management of Zamalek Club as an appointed board member. Issam Bahij died in 2008 at the age of 77.