Pyramids currently only have one Brazilian player in their squad
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Summary
Flamengo will face Pyramids of Egypt at the Intercontinental; Rival stood out in 2018 by investing in Brazilian players and has won important titles in recent years.
Flamengo will face an unprecedented opponent in its history next Saturday 13th. In search of a place in the final of the Intercontinental Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, the team led by Filipe Luís will face the Egyptian Pyramids, at the Ahmad Bin Ali stadium.
Despite being in the international tournament for the first time, the Cairo club has become famous for becoming a nightmare for Brazilian teams in the recent past. Just in the middle of 2018, the Egyptian team surprised with five national football highlights.
The package even included Rodriguinho, one of the highlights of Corinthians’ 2017 Brasileirão title, and Keno, an important player for Palmeiras, who will become national champions at the end of 2018.
In addition to the duo of rivals from São Paulo, Pyramids welcomed Carlos Eduardo, Ribamar and Arthur Caíke, from Goiás, Athletico-PR and Chapecoense respectively. However, the latter of them did not even act due to the limited number of foreigners.
To lead the project, Alberto Valentim was chosen. The Brazilian coach’s time with the team was, however, short-lived. After just three matches, he was fired for disobeying club president Turki al-Sheikh and fielding Ribamar.
It is precisely thanks to the manager that Pyramids experienced a financial leap in 2018. Founded in 2008 and previously called Al Assiouty Sport, the team was bought by Al-Sheikh, who was an advisor to the Royal Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the General Entertainment Authority.
The businessman’s “joke” was short-lived and the following year, in 2019, the Egyptian team was sold to Salem Al-Shamsi of the United Arab Emirates, who still retains control of the club today.
After the initial boom and with a new owner, the Egyptian team took a break from searching for Brazilians. Currently, only Amapá striker Ewerton wears the colors of the reigning champions of the African Champions League.
“Being the only Brazilian in the team gives me a special feeling in this match. I know Brazilian football well and I know how Flamengo likes to play: they are an intense team, with a lot of technical quality and who press all the time. But we also know our strength and how much we have worked to get here. I expect a very competitive match, at a high level, and I am ready to help Pyramids win this place in the final against PSG”, said the native of Amapá.
Even without an injection of money, Pyramids maintained its sporting project with the aim of facing the powerful Al Ahly and Zamalek. The main title was precisely the African Champions Cup.
At the national level, the team reached its peak by winning the Egypt Cup, in 2023. Also noteworthy are the runners-up campaigns in the Egyptian Championship, in 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24.
To secure a place in the Intercontinental Cup semi-final against Flamengo, the Pyramids had to defeat Auckland City of New Zealand and Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia. The Brazilians in turn beat the Mexican Cruz Azul.
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