Less than three hours before Wednesday's nervous victory over the Brugges club in the Champions League, Omar Marmoush was stopped in the inner field in the Manchester City training field.
I had seen the same facilities for the first time a week before, looking and smiling for what I now call home.
He smiles a lot, Marmoush. It is the first thing that the staff noticed about the firm of £ 59 million of Eintracht Frankfurt, who, in the last 11 days, has shown an enlightening appreciation for this great opportunity in his career.
Then, he was in the inner dome, with baggy pants, not eligible for the match against Brugges, but is still used with good use.
There was a city in the community event, a session for girls between six and 14 years old, and Marmush threw himself into him. It was the setter of the shooting exercises, signed whatever necessary and talked with young people about their dreams.
He listened carefully to an explanation of what the community projects do, he was offered the opportunity to raise his own questions and bombarded.
Omar Marmoush was one of Manchester City players present for a community event this week
The Egyptian has shown an enlightening appreciation for this great opportunity in his career.
The city event in the community event, a session for girls between six and 14 years old, was held on Wednesday
Homeless, food banks, how the city is aligned with local beneficial organizations. He asked above all. In Egypt, Marmoush's homeland, likes to get involved in good causes, however, the depth of his consultations was still surprised by staff. “You can say that it is genuine,” says a source.
He spent half an hour there, spraying a little star, and the plan was to get on a Mercedes Viano for presentation to the followers on stage outside the Etihad stadium.
But a fire that crosses a nearby merchandise kiosk forced the cancellation of the event, frustrating its great presentation.
Marmoush had already been announced to the city's fans, of course, after being introduced to the initial XI of Pep Guardiola the previous Saturday against Chelsea. He sat between Savinho and Rodri, who is still close to the team while recovering from knee surgery, inside the locker room.
He gravitated to Bernardo Silva, Stefan Ortega and Erling Haaland during training. The city players noticed energy, imagination. He is a bit different.
They saw him in his debut, Marmoush raising the crowd, a package of emotion whose only stain deviated, something perhaps explained by the lack of time he had had with his new teammates. Marmoush has not yet tuned when his passes will reproduce.
The city can go more direct with the 25 -year -old. Marmoush can increase beyond Haaland in a way that few others do.
Against Chelsea, Guardiola established a narrowest center of the usual field, with three at the base and Marmoush and Phil foden in front to form a Christmas tree with a touch. Complete backs are poured forward in the created space.
It is 2-3-4-1 sometimes and the arrival of Marmoush has given Guardiola more skill, an additional weapon when they meet Real Madrid on two legs in the Champions League at the end of this month in what he can Become a couple of end to end “ Basketball matches.
Marmoush had already been announced to the city's fans, of course, after being introduced into the initial XI of Pep Guardiola against Chelsea
Marmoush played from par to the left as a child, but, wanting a change and fearful of being overlooked by compatriot Ramadán Sobhi, who would fight in Stoke and Huddersfield, added strings to his arch. Then, a striker and now capable of playing as a 10, Marmoush's style fills the void left by Julian Alvarez's departure last summer.
“The club decided to bring an additional player in the final third with the talent to score, assists, run and pieces,” said Guardiola. 'Except with the Aimrica Laporte (in 2018), we never use the winter transfer window. But it was an exceptional situation, we had to intervene to end the season as good as possible.
“The players do not come for six months, they come for four, five, six years if everything goes well.”
City admits that they should have replaced Álvarez last summer, but made Marmoush clear that it is not a similar exchange. However, Álvarez's numbers for last season were shown to the Egyptian. The Argentine played 3,481 minutes and Marmush told him that the game time is now his. Potential recruits always fear becoming under -squad players, but the minutes presented by the outgoing soccer director Txiki Begiristain calm down.
Agent David Manasseh did not directed the debate towards the tactics, remembering that Begiristain once said about the representative. “David knows very little about football, but he knows how to put together a deal,” he explained.
And they organized a treatment they made, the city committing themselves to an additional £ 4 million in Eintracht bonds that, at the beginning of the window, made it clear that they would not sell.
The teams from all over Europe were going to Marmoush in the summer and the city stole a march to what they believe is a very intelligent price for someone who registered 20 goals and 14 assists in 26 games before leaving Germany.
Jhon Duran and NASSR can end as the most expensive transfer of this January window, but Marmoush should be the firm outstanding in the fullness of time.
Mo Salah will eventually pass to the crown as the public king and the Egyptians are ready to embrace the new 7 of the city as the successor
The teams from all over Europe were queuing Marmoush in the summer and the city stole a march to what they believe is a very intelligent price
As the city's interest was previously in charge of the window, the beaches of Hurghada, on the east coast of Egypt, were crazy about emotion. The boys who attended Sun's sun lumbers would see English tourists, decipher if they like football and enthusiastically launch comparisons between Marmoush and Mohamed Salah.
Salah will eventually pass to the crown as the public king and the Egyptians are ready to embrace the new 7 of the city as a successor. Marmoush could have promised international loyalty to Canada due to the citizens of his parents, but, after some visits to Ottawa, he decided against her.
For a lot of delight, Marmoush's game of Chelsea was supplied by a youtuber of his homeland, which spent the night sitting near the shelter at the Etihad stadium.
Marmoush, educated at the American International School of Private American America in Cairo, forbidden to attend training during school hours, never intended to star in Egypt. He rejected the Oberturas of Al Ahly and Zamalek when he was in Wadi Degla, a club affiliated with Arsenal and for whom he scored 26 goals in more than two per game for a year in the youth configuration. Europe was the goal, the Premier League The Dream, and now it is here.
Arsenal far away on Sunday, will it believe? Guardiola has a dilemma ahead of the Emirates. Stay with the formation of last week, offering more central protection to help avoid paralyzing transitions, or throw Savinho back after the appearance of the Brazilian party from the bank against witches.
Marmoush could be reduced to having an impact as a substitute that, given its debut in all action, can adapt to it.
In that debut, there was an energy within the Etihad every time Marmous brought together possession, and there were positive signs, even if people close to him emphasize that only in 12 months we will know if this change is a success.
After the game, Marmoush was taken to his hotel in the city center, the Dakota, the same one that was offered to Haaland when he appeared in 2022, and the city's sources say he has expressed the preference for finding an apartment near the Training field
The city can go more direct with the 25 -year -old. Marmush can mark beyond Erling Haaland in a way that few others do.
The striker was linked well with Haaland (medium) in his debut for City against Chelsea last weekend
His family, well educated and rich, were with him. His father Khaled, information director of Telecom Egypt. His mother Naglaa. Her sister, her husband, her daughter. The family happily thanked the city staff for its tour of the Etihad, while Marmoush raised questions about the development of £ 300 million of the northern stand of the club.
He had been a whirlwind since Eintracht said goodbye, ending with a goal and two assists to overcome Friburg. When boarding the private plane Bombardier Challenger 300 on the night of January 20, a two -part medical doctor. A full day of nine hours to complete the movement with photos of Marmoush signing his contract with Begiristain.
“We are taking the best player in the Bundesliga,” Begiristain told him. “Each coach told me:” Sign it, sign it. “
Even given the link with Wadi Degla, Arsenal clearly ignored it. And Tottenham too, whom his former striker Mido looked last summer. He has a personal interest, having trained a teenage Marmoush in Wadi Degla, and has stayed with him in times of conflict.
Marmush was lost in the Egyptian Olympic Games team in 2021 after they asked Wolfsburg Husmoren, who gave him his European break and paid the air ticket to join his camp during Covid. By rejecting the beginning, Marmoush would then be criticized by former player REDEL AAL, who said that at least 100 players were more capable.
That feels extravagant now and in a role as a UEFA technical advisor, Ryan Giggs played a role in the search for Wolfsburg, watching Marmoush in a tournament of children under 17 and transmitting the message.
Through loans in St Pauli and Stuttgart, before exploding with Frankfurt, he has reached England as the face of the city's reconstruction. The old trainers in Cairo have not been forgotten: flowers are sent on their birthdays. If things are going well here, Marmoush will receive his.