Stephan El Shaarawy

Stephan El Shaarawy

El Shaarawy in 2014
Personal information
Full nameStephan Kareem El Shaarawy
Date of birth27 October 1992
Place of birthSavona, Italy
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) [1]
Playing positionForward / Winger
Club information
Current team
Milan
Number92
Youth career
2001–2006Legino
2006–2008Genoa
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2008–2011Genoa3(0)
2010–2011→ Padova (loan)29(9)
2011–Milan79(19)
National team‡
2008Italy U168(4)
2008–2009Italy U1715(2)
2010Italy U183(1)
2010Italy U195(1)
2011–Italy U215(3)
2012–Italy10(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 03:59, 18 January 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:13, 8 november 2014 (UTC)

Stephan Kareem El Shaarawy (Egyptian Arabic: ستيفان كريـم الشعـراوي ; born 27 October 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Italy national team. He is nicknamed Il Faraone (The Pharaoh), as his father is Egyptian.[2][3]

He began his career at Genoa, and was signed by Milan in 2011 after a successful loan at Padova. Frequently regarded as one of the most promising youngsters of his generation, in 2012 El Shaarawy was named one of the top players born after 1991 by Don Balón,[4] and he was listed 52nd in The 100 best footballers in the world by The Guardian.[5]

El Shaarawy has represented the Italy national team and Italy U21 national team, and also played for the Italy U17 national team and Italy U19 national team. He made his senior international debut in August 2012, in a friendly match against England, and three months later scored his first international goal, against France in November 2012.

Early life

Stephan El Shaarawy was born in Savona to an Egyptian father and Italian mother. He is a nominal Muslim.[3]

Club career

Genoa

El Shaarawy started his youth career in regional Serie A club, Genoa at the age of fourteen.[3]

On 21 December 2008, when he was 16 years and 55 days old, he made his first team debut, playing ten minutes in a Serie A away match against Chievo, becoming the fourth youngest player in the history of Serie A.[6] It was his only appearance of the season despite making the bench many times.

Padova (loan)

In June 2010 he was loaned out to Padova for the 2010–11 Serie B season.[7] In his loan period at Padova, he quickly emerged as a key element for the team, leading the Venetian club to the promotion playoff finals where they then lost to Novara. He was awarded Serie B Player of the Year in 2011 as his glowing performance in Padova.[8]

Milan

El Shaarawy with teammate Robinho in their pre-season friendly with Real Madrid

2011-12: Entrance in the first squad

On 25 June 2011, El Shaarawy signed for Serie A giants Milan.[9] On 18 September 2011, El Shaarawy made his debut with Milan at the Stadio San Paolo in a 3–1 loss to Napoli in Serie A.[10] Three days later, after coming on as a substitute for the injured Alexandre Pato, he scored his first goal for the club, earning his team a 1–1 draw at home against Udinese.[11]

In his first six months at Milan, he 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 made between vice-president Adriano Galliani, coach Massimiliano Allegri and himself to stay at the club for the near future. It was then that his performances for Milan began to improve and have led him to becoming one of the most highly rated youngsters in Italy. On 8 February 2012, El Shaarawy scored in a 1–2 loss against Juventus in the first leg of the 2011-12 Coppa Italia semi-final.[12] Three days later, he scored an immensely vital winner against Udinese.[13]

2012–13: Breakthrough season

On 25 July 2012, El Shaarawy signed a new five-year contract with Milan.[14][15] On 3 October 2012, he scored his first goal in UEFA Champions League against Zenit, thus becoming at the age of 19 years and 342 days, AC Milan's youngest ever goalscorer in the competition.[16][17] He scored two goals in a derby against Napoli to save Milan from losing an important game.[18] El Shaarawy continued his fine form by scoring two more goals in a match against Catania, which ended 1–3 in favour of Milan.[19] He then added a 76-minute goal in the thrashing 4–2 win over Torino FC and another in a 4–1 win over Pescara Calcio which contributed in Milan fourth consecutive win and up rising of the season.[20][21] He finished the first half of the season as Serie A top scorer with 14 goals and also as AC Milan top scorer in all competitions with 16 goals.[22]

On 28 February 2013, El Shaarawy ended speculation regarding his future by extending his contract for a further season, running until June 2018.[23] In the second half of the 2012–13 season, El Shaarawy struggling to find his best form, but Milan CEO Adriano Galliani defended the player by stating that his goals kept Milan alive for the top three in the league.[24]

2013-14: Injury-hit campaign

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.[25] On 20 August 2013, El Shaarawy scored his first goal in competitive club games since February 2013 against PSV in the Champions League playoff first leg.[26] The first half of the season was led by injuries as he made only seven appearances in all competitions for Milan.[27] On 28 December, after a surgery on his right foot failed to heal effectively, El Shaarawy was ruled out for a further ten weeks.[28]

El Shaarawy made his return on 11 May 2014 in the 2–1 Serie A loss against Atalanta.[29]

2014–15

In Milan's first league match of the season against Lazio, El Shaarawy assisted Honda for first Milan goal in 7th minute of the match. On 8 November 2014, El Shaarawy found the net in Serie A after a 622 days long goalles run.[30] The Azzurri striker's celebration perfectly summed up the emotion behind the forward's 10th minute strike, as the he fell to the floor in tears.[31]

International career

El Shaarawy playing for Italy against Haiti in 2013

Youth

Initially he was qualified to play for the Egypt national football team, but was denied by then coach Hassan Shehata stating that "not every Egyptian playing for a foreign league qualifies to play for the national side" as the Egyptian side then was very successful with 3 consecutive African Cup of Nations wins and performed well in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.[32]

El Shaarawy then started playing with the Italy U-17 team, he took part at both the 2009 UEFA U-17 Euro and the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[33]

He made his debut with the Italy U-21 team on 15 November 2011, in a qualifying match against Hungary.[34]

Senior

On 15 August 2012, El Shaarawy made his senior debut for Italy, in a 2–1 defeat in a friendly against England.[35] El Shaarawy scored his first goal for Italy on his third appearance, on 14 November 2012 in a 2–1 friendly win against France.[36][37]

He represented Italy at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, and made his tournament debut in the country's final group game against hosts Brazil, replacing Alessandro Diamanti for the final 19 minutes of a 4–2 defeat.[38] He returned in the third-place play-off, playing the entire match and scoring a penalty in the shootout which Italy won against Uruguay.[39]

El Shaarawy was not included in the Italy's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad, after missing most of the 2013–14 season through injury.[40]

Style of play

Since his breakthrough season, El Shaarawy is considered to be an up-and-coming, potentially world-class player, and one of the most promising and talented young Italian players.[41] A hard-working player, he primarily plays as a left winger but can also play as an attacking midfielder or as a centre forward, due to his eye for goal. He is known for his pace, agility, dribbling ability, and technical skill. El Shaarawy has demonstrated his shooting power with strikes from outside the box; he is also an above-average passer, and creates space with a solid first-touch.[42]

His playing style has drawn comparisons with FIFA World Player of the Year winner Cristiano Ronaldo.[43] El Shaarawy cites former Milan playmaker Kaká as his role model.[44][45] Milan legend José Altafini compared El Shaarawy to Brazilian international Neymar and four-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi: "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".[46]

Sponsorship

In 2012, El Shaarawy signed a sponsorship deal with American sportswear and equipment supplier, Nike. He appeared in an advert for the new Nike Green Speed II alongside Mario Götze, Eden Hazard, Raheem Sterling, Christian Eriksen and Theo Walcott in November 2012.[47][48]

On 25 July 2013, EA Sports announced through their Facebook page that they had featured El Shaarawy on the Italian cover of FIFA 14, alongside global cover star Lionel Messi.[49]

Career statistics

Club

As of 18 January 2015.[1]
Team Season League Cup Europe1 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Genoa 2008–09 1000—10
2009–10 20000020
Total30000030
Padova 2010–11 29910—309
Total29910—|309
Milan 2011–12 2224220284
2012–13 371611824619
2013–14 60003191
2014–15 1410000141
Total7919531339325
Career total 106276313312533

1European competitions include the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Champions League.

International

As of match played on 30 June 2013.
Italy national team
YearAppsGoals
201231
201370
Total101

International goals

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 14 November 2012 Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma  France 1–0 1–2 Friendly

Honours

Club

Milan

International

Italy

Individual

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Stephan El Shaarawy profile". at A.C. Milan. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  2. ↑ "Le confessioni di El Shaarawy: "Devo molto ad Allegri, mi ha sempre dato ottimi consigli. Grazie a lui riesco a tenere i piedi per terra"". Goal.com. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "The Little Pharoah with a big reputation". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "101 prospetti per il futuro. Ecco la lista di Don Balon". Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Oliver, Christine; Williams, Richard; Taylor, Daniel; Lowe, Sid; Bandini, Paolo; Honigstein, Raphael; Duarte, Fernando; Wilson, Jonathan; Cox, Michael; Lawrence, Amy; Doyle, Paul; Christenson, Marcus (20 December 2012). "The 100 best footballers in the world". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "Olivera lancia il Genoa Il Chievo sprofonda" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 22 December 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
  7. ↑ "E’ il baby talento Stephan El Shaarawy il primo volto nuovo del Padova 2010–11" (in Italian). Calcio Padova. 27 June 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  8. ↑ "El Shaarawy, Milan's latest jewel". FIFA. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "Stephen El Shaarawy completes AC Milan transfer". Goal.com. 25 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  10. ↑ "El Shaarawy: I had a great first season at AC Milan". Goal.com. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  11. ↑ "Udinese vs AC Milan Report". Goal.com. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "AC Milan vs Juventus Report". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "Udinese vs AC Milan Report". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "El Shaarawy extends Milan contract until 2017". UEFA.com. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  15. ↑ "El Shaarawy renews AC Milan deal". Goal.com. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  16. ↑ "El Shaarawy entra nella storia del Milan: è il suo marcatore più giovane in Champions". Milannews.it. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  17. ↑ "Stephan El Shaarawy statistics". Goal.com. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  18. ↑ "SSC Napoli vs AC Milan Report". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  19. ↑ "Catania vs AC Milan Report". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  20. ↑ "Torino vs AC Milan Report". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  21. ↑ "AC Milan vs Pescara Report". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  22. ↑ "Mid-season Top Scorers in Europe's Top Leagues". Sportige. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  23. ↑ "Serie A: AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy has signed a new contract". Sky Sports. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  24. ↑ Coerts, Stefan (2013-05-10). "El Shaarawy kept Milan alive, says Galliani". Goal.com. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  25. ↑ http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/acmilan/id/1653?cc=5739
  26. ↑ http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2013/08/20/4201327/el-shaarawy-thrilled-to-end-goal-drought
  27. ↑ http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2013/12/12/4474891/el-shaarawy-to-miss-rest-of-2013-with-injury?ICID=PP_27076
  28. ↑ http://football-italia.net/43211/el-shaarawy-out-10-weeks
  29. ↑ http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2014/05/11/4810882/el-shaarawy-targets-world-cup-spot-after-ac-milan-comeback
  30. ↑ http://www.espnfc.com/club/ac-milan/103/blog/post/2139389/stephan-el-shaarawy-rediscovering-the-form-that-made-him-the-pharaoh-of-milan
  31. ↑ http://www.livesoccertv.com/news/12162/shaarawy-breaks-down-in-tears-after-ending-goalscoring-drought-with-wonder-strike-vs-sampdoria-vine/
  32. ↑ "Fame and fortune elsewhere". Al-Ahram Weekly. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  33. ↑ "El Shaarawi, Napoli e Tuia State attenti a questi tre" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 11 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
  34. ↑ "Under-21 – Stephan El Shaarawy". UEFA.com. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  35. ↑ "England 2–1 Italy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  36. ↑ "Italy v France – 14 Nov 2012" Sky Sports. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  37. ↑ "Italy v France". Sky Sports. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  38. ↑ Smith, Ben (22 June 2014). "Italy 2-4 Brazil". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  39. ↑ McKenna, Chris (30 June 2013). "Uruguay 2-2 Italy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  40. ↑ "My future is with AC Milan, insists El Shaarawy". Goal.com. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  41. ↑ "El Shaarawi, delantero italiano de 16 años con mucho futuro". Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  42. ↑ Steitz, Eric. "AC Milan: 5 Reasons Stephan El Shaarawy Will Keep Improving This Season". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  43. ↑ Steitz, Eric. "AC Milan Can Build a New Dynasty Around El Shaarawy". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  44. ↑ "Stephan El Shaarawy: The Premier League is great, but I'd like to stay at AC Milan forever". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  45. ↑ "Stephan El Shaarawy". cinquantamila.corriere.it. Il Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  46. ↑ "Shevchenko: El Shaarawy reminds me of myself". Goal.com. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  47. ↑ "Stephan El Shaarawy Wears the Nike GS2". Football Boots. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  48. ↑ "Nike GS2 Football Boots". FootballBoots.co.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  49. ↑ EA Sports FIFA (July 25, 2013). "Official #FIFA14 Italian cover. Stephan El Shaarawy joins #Messi up front!". Facebook. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  50. ↑ "Gran Cala' del Calcio 2011: Rizzoli premiato miglior arbitro". Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  51. ↑ "PALLONE D'ARGENTO A EL SHAARAWY: L'ALBO D'ORO". http://www.acmilan.com'' (in Italian). 12 May 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2015.

External links

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