Sam Morsy was born in Wolverhampton, England, but thanks to his Egyptian father, he is eligible to play for Egypt. He currently plays for League One Champions Wigan Athletic, but will be playing against the hosts, Russia, in this evening's game at the FIFA world cup. He made a brief appearance in the first match in Egypt's defeat to Uruguay in the second match of the tournament, playing in the second half. After his good impression in the match, he will be looking to make his first start in the Egypt's second match tonight.
The Wigan Athletic club captain plays as a central defensive midfielder for club and country, protecting the defenders from an onslaught of attacking force as he successfully did until a last minute winner in the first match against Uruguay - who have star players such as Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani.
Morsy is well known for for being a strong force in-game, as Wigan fans may know, he is very prone to getting booked for his strong tackles.
Morsy is not an expert in Arabic, and his main language is English. He is one of the curiously few players at the FIFA World Cup who does not speak the native language of the country he represents. Though make no mistake, he sees himself as committed to Egypt and their success at Russia 2018.
The midfielder started his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but was released by the club in his teenage years. He has, however, been through clubs such as Port Vale and Chesterfield before establishing himself in a hugely successful Wigan Athletic team. He speaks very positively about the manager, Paul Cook: ‘Paul Cook’s had a big influence on my career.
Cook has taken me, developed me, and worked really hard with me.’
The 26 year old will be the only Wigan player at the World Cup finals this year, compared to in 2014 where three players represented their countries while also playing for Wigan Athletic. Those players were Jean Beausejour, Roger Espinoza, and the late Juan Carlos García.
Egypt are playing in their first FIFA World Cup since 1990 in Italy. Egypt's star player is Liverpool’s Mo Salah, and will be hoping to play after his injury in the Champions League final against Real Madrid.
The only way Morsy can play against England, the country of his birth is if both teams reach the semi finals. Is he up for it? ‘Yes I’m looking forward to that game for sure!’
Russia V Egypt is at 7pm UK time on the BBC; England fans should have a soft spot for one of their own.
