Essam Baheeg

Baheeg was born on 26 February 1931 in Alexandria, Egypt to a middle class family. He started playing football in the streets of the city. Afterwards, he played for Mansoura youth teams. He then moved to Cairo to enlist to Egyptian Military Academy in mid-1940s.{{Cite web |date=23 December 2013 |title=عصام بهيج |url=https://sis.gov.eg/Story/80859?lang=ar}}

Essam Baheeg's talent was discovered by Zamalek's president Mohammed Haidar Pasha who chose Baheeg for the club's youth team when he was 18 years old. In 1949, Baheeg played for Zamalek's first team, and quickly became a key player for Zamalek, thanks to his talent and skills, he reached fame at a young age. Baheeg was known for his loyalty and sincerity to Zamalek, this increased his popularity among the clubs' fans and the Egyptian football fans in general. He played for eleven seasons for Zamalek which he played for in his entire professional career.{{Cite web |date=15 April 2022 |title=بوابة روز اليوسف {{!}} "عصام بهيج".. أسطورة الفارس الأبيض |url=https://www.rosaelyoussef.com/962598 |access-date=6 May 2024 |website=بوابة روز اليوسف}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Ww8AQAAIAAJ&q=essam+bahig+egypt |title=Arab Observer and the Scribe |date=July 1965 |publisher=General Organisation of Publications |language=en}}

File:S_Qotb,_A_Mohsen_-_E_Baheeg.jpg and Ali Mohsen with Zamalek in 1959]]

File:Zamalek_squad_(1959).jpg

Despite his short career as a professional player, due to his early retirement, Baheeg won with his team six titles of the Egypt Cup (1951–52, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60). He also won with Zamalek the Cairo League for three consecutive seasons in (1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53). In his last season, Baheeg won with Zamalek the Egyptian Premier League title in (1959–60), he was one of the most valuable players in this season.{{Cite web |date=23 December 2013 |title=عصام بهيج |url=https://sis.gov.eg/Story/80859?lang=ar}} He did not play for any other club throughout his 12-year football career, he's considered an icon and symbol for the club throughout its history. Baheeg retired from football in 1960.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

With his country, he played with Egypt for eleven years, from 1949 till his retirement. He was called for the Summer Olympic Games and was a part of Egypt's squad that participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, but did not play in any matches.{{Cite web |title=Football Tournament 1952 Olympiad |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/ol1952f-det.html |access-date=10 May 2024 |website=www.rsssf.org}}

File:Essam_Baheeg_(1952).jpg

He played for his country in the 1959 African Cup of Nations, and participated in the two matches against the Ethiopia and Sudan. He scored his country's two winning goals in the final against Sudan and led his country to win their second title. Baheeg also scored a famous goal in France from forty yards in the football finals of the 1955 Mediterranean Games in Barcelona, in which Egypt won the gold medal.{{Cite web |title=مدفع رمضان.. صاروخ عصام بهيج في مرمى السودان يحسم اللقب الثاني للفراعنة |url=https://www.masrawy.com/sports/sports_news/details/2024/3/12/2551284/%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%B9-%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AE-%D8%B9%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A8%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AC-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%85%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%86%D8%A9 |access-date=6 May 2024 |website=مصراوي.كوم |language=ar}}

Baheeg coached the National Bank of Egypt SC in the 1970s, and coached Zamalek in the 1987-88 season and achieved the 1987–88 Egyptian League, the 1988 Egypt Cup, and the 1987 Afro-Asian Club Championship, in addition to winning the Friendship Cup. He coached El Qanah FC in the 1999-2000 season, coached El Sharkia SC in the 2000-01 season, and Sohag SC in the 2001-02 season. He won the elections and was a board member of Zamalek. Baheeg holds the record for Zamalek as the only coach who achieved 10 consecutive wins in the Egyptian League, and this number has not been broken yet with any other coach.{{Cite web |last=لبنى عبد الله |date=3 August 2017 |title=لازم تعرف.. عصام بهيج قاد الزمالك للتتويج برباعية فى موسم واحد |url=https://m.youm7.com/story/2017/8/3/%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%85-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81-%D8%B9%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A8%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AC-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%AC-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%85/3350471}}

Baheeg was known for his numerous relationships with women during his football career, he was a rich topic for tabloids in the 1950s. He presented his personal experience in the film Talk of the City (1964) alongside Shwikar.{{Cite web |title=عصام بهيج - ﺗﻤﺜﻴﻞ فيلموجرافيا، صور، فيديو |url=https://elcinema.com/person/1105380 |access-date=10 May 2024 |website=elCinema.com |language=ar}} He starred in the film alongside his colleague Hanafy Bastan and Ali Mohsen who appeared in the film, but Bastan and Baheeg acted in the film after their retirement from football.{{Cite web |last=الدين |first=القاهرة-آية صلاح |date=21 May 2014 |title=5 لاعبين كرة قدم أنهت مسيرتهم نساء سيئات السمعة.. صور |url=https://gololy.com/2014/05/21/133045/5-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%A3%D9%86%D9%87%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%87%D9%85-%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A6%D8%A7%D8%AA.html |access-date=10 May 2024 |website=gololy.com |language=ar-EG}}{{Cite web |title=بالصور.. فنانات «وقعن» في غرام المستطيل الأخضر.. زواج في السريع بين «الشهرة» و«النميمة» بعد مباراة ساخنة - فن |url=http://akhbarak.net/news/5645135/articles/17370963/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%81%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B6%D8%B1 |access-date=10 May 2024 |website=أخبارك.نت |language=ar}}

File:Essam_Baheeg_-_Nahed_Gabr.jpg

File:Essam Baheeg - Sabah.jpg, {{circa|1980}}]]

While filming Talk of the City in 1964, Baheeg met actress Nahed Gabr, and quickly they fell in love with each other and got married in Cairo and had a son and a daughter, but they separated and divorced later, however, they remarried again in the 1980s and remained married until his death.{{Cite web |last=موسى |first=السيد |date=25 February 2017 |title=من عصام بهيج لـ "شيشية" إسلام جمال.. "ستات جابت لاعيبة الكرة ورا" (صور) {{!}} أهل مصر |url=https://ahlmasrnews.com/241291/%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B9%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A8%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AC-%D9%84%D9%80-%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AA-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1 |access-date=10 May 2024 |website=ahlmasrnews.com |language=ar-EG}}

Baheeg was an influential star in Egypt, as he was one of the most prominent players in the national team. He was connected in the Egyptian movie business and had close relationships in the Egyptian intellectual community at that time. He had several film stars and singers as friends such as Sabah.{{Cite web |last=حاتم نعام |date=16 September 2022 |title=عصام بهيج.. «نجم الزمالك» دمرته ممثلة |url=https://m.akhbarelyom.com/news/newdetails/3881820/1/%D8%B9%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A8%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AC-%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83-%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%84%D8%A9}}

Baheeg died on 4 December 2008 at the age of 77, in Cairo, Egypt.

Zamalek

• Egypt Cup (6): 1951–52, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60
• Cairo League: 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53
• Egyptian Premier League: 1959–60

Egypt

• Africa Cup of Nations: 1959
• Mediterranean Games: 1955

Zamalek

• Egyptian Premier League: 1987–88
• Egypt Cup: 1987–88
• Afro-Asian Club Championship: 1987
• Friendship International Cup: 1988

• Talk of the City (Hadeeth Al-Madina {{langx|ar|حديث المدينة}}): 1964.{{Cite web|url=http://www.elcinema.com/person/pr1105380/|title=عصام بهيج - ﺗﻤﺜﻴﻞ - فيلموجرافيا، صور، فيديو|website=elCinema.com|language=ar|access-date=10 July 2018}}

{{reflist}}

{{Zamalek SC managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baheeg, Essam}}

Category:1931 births

Category:2008 deaths

Category:20th-century Egyptian sportsmen

Category:Egyptian men's footballers

Category:Footballers from Alexandria

Category:Men's association football wingers

Category:Egypt men's international footballers

Category:Egyptian Premier League players

Category:Zamalek SC players

Category:1959 African Cup of Nations players

Category:Africa Cup of Nations–winning players

Category:Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Egypt

Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in football

Category:Egyptian football managers

Category:Zamalek SC managers