Maha Shehata
{{Short description|Egyptian footballer (born 1989)}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Maha Al-Demerdash
| fullname = Maha Al-Demerdash Al-Demerdash Shehata
| image =
| image_size =
| caption = Al-Demerdash with Trabzon İdmanocağı in 2017
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1989|02|13|df=y}}
| birth_place = Gharbia Governorate, Egypt
| height =
| position = Goalkeeper
| currentclub = Piros Security
| clubnumber =
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 =
| years1 =
| clubs1 = Wadi Degla SC
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| years2 = 2017–2018
| clubs2 = Trabzon İdmanocağı
| caps2 = 16
| goals2 = 0
| years3 =
| clubs3 = Piros Security
| caps3 =
| goals3 =
| years4 = 2024–
| clubs4 = Al Ahly Women
| caps4 =1
| goals4 = 0
| totalcaps =
| totalgoals =
| nationalyears1 =
|nationalteam1 = Egypt
| nationalcaps1 =
| nationalgoals1 =
| pcupdate = 18 April 2018
| ntupdate =
}}
Maha Al-Demerdash Al-Demerdash Shehata ({{langx|ar|مها الدمردش الدمرداش شحاته}}; born 13 February 1989) is an Egyptian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Egyptian club Al Ahly Women and the Egypt women's national team.
Early life
Al-Demerdash was born on 13 February 1989 in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. She began playing football with the boys in the street and has loved football since childhood, despite rejection from her family and her community.{{Cite web |date=25 August 2019 |title="بنات مصر".. قصة 4 لاعبات كرة محترفات في دوريات العالم |url=https://www.dostor.org/2780070 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902014039/https://www.dostor.org/2780070 |archive-date=2 September 2023 |access-date=2 September 2023 |website=Dostor |language=ar}}
She began her career as a right-back, playing in that position for five years, before becoming a goalkeeper.{{Cite web |last=الاسلمي |first=طارق |date=7 November 2020 |title=كابتن منتخب مصر للسيدات مها الدمرداش لموقع "الرياضي نت" تألقت مع الفراعنة ووصلت إلى رومانيا |url=https://alriadi.com/news-45542.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902021004/https://alriadi.com/news-45542.html |archive-date=2 September 2023 |access-date=2 September 2023 |website=Al-Riadi |language=ar}}
Club career
File:MahaShehata (25).jpg (navy/maron) saving a shot in their away match against Beşiktaş J.K. (black/white) in the 2017–18 Turkish Women's First League.]]
Al-Demerdash joined Al-Mansoura at 17. She won Best Goalkeeper in the Egyptian Women's Premier League in 2010, and was similarly named the best goalkeeper in the Egyptian Women's Cup. The team was frozen in 2011.
She then moved to the Cairo-based team Wadi Degla SC. She was influenced by the men's team's captain and goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary. Al-Demerdash won six league championships and five Egyptian Women's Cups with the team. She won the award for Best Goalkeeper twice more with Wadi Degla.
In November 2017, she moved to Turkey to join Trabzon İdmanocağı, who play in the Turkish Women's First Football League. There, she played with fellow Egypt international Engy Attia.
Al-Demerdash returned to the Egyptian League and joined Al-Amerya during the 2021-22 season, but faced struggles with registration.
She then moved to the team Piros Security in Liga I in Romania. She became the first Egyptian player to wear the captain's armband in a European stadium.
International career
Al-Demerdash appeared for the Egypt women's national football team at the 2016 Women's Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon.
She was called up for training and friendlies in preparation for qualifiers for the 2024 Women's African Cup of Nations.{{Cite web |date=5 January 2023 |title=23 لاعبة في انطلاق معسكر المنتخب الأول للكرة النسائية استعدادا لتصفيات أمم أفريقيا |url=https://www.elaosboa.com/946725/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822023015/https://www.elaosboa.com/946725/ |archive-date=22 August 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023 |website=Elaosboa}}{{Cite web |last=شعبان |first=حاتم |date=21 February 2023 |title=منتخب الكرة النسائية يقدم العزاء لـ مها الدمرداش في وفاة كريمة شقيقتها |url=https://koraplus.com/Article/70313/%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%84%D9%80-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B4-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%88%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902012308/https://koraplus.com/Article/70313/%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%84%D9%80-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B4-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%88%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A9 |archive-date=2 September 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023 |website=Kora Plus}} The goalkeeping coach, Mohamed Arafat, expressed his satisfaction with El-Demerdash's level of play.{{Cite web |date=12 October 2022 |title=مدرب حراس منتخب الكرة النسائية: لدينا قاعدة مبشرة.. ومها الدمرداش تميزت أمام الأردن |url=https://gate.ahram.org.eg/News/3727618.aspx |access-date=2 September 2023 |website=Ahram}}
Al-Demerdash is one of the captains of the Egypt women's national team.
She has said one of her biggest dreams is to lead Egypt in the World Cup as a player or a coach.
Personal life
Al-Demerdash's sister Karima died in early 2023.
Her family became more accepting of football because of her achievements, including winning titles with Wadi Degla and playing on the national team.
Her goalkeeping heroes are Manuel Neuer and Mohamed El Shenawy.
References
{{reflist|30em|refs=
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{{Egypt squad 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations}}
{{commons category|Maha Shehata}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shehata, Maha}}
Category:Sportspeople from Gharbia Governorate
Category:Women's association football goalkeepers
Category:Egyptian women's footballers
Category:21st-century Egyptian sportswomen
Category:Egypt women's international footballers
Category:Egyptian expatriate women's footballers
Category:Egyptian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Category:Expatriate women's footballers in Turkey
Category:Trabzon İdmanocağı women's players