Reda

Mohamed Morsi Hussein’s father nicknamed him “Reda” after the Iranian Shah Reza Pahlavi, a moniker that stuck with him throughout his days as a football player. He got his start in the sport kicking a tennis ball through the streets with his friends, and was a member of his elementary and junior high school teams from 1944 through 1953. He joined his local club, Ismaily, the following year and played his first official game in 1956, scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory. In 1958 he played his first international game, against Italy, while serving with the military.

In 1960, as a member of the Egyptian National Team (at the time competing as the United Arab Republic with Syria), he attended the Summer Olympics, where the squad emerged from round robin play with two losses and one draw; Reda played in the losing games against Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. His fame grew when Ismaily entered the Egyptian Premier League for the 1962-1963 season but, in the final game of the year, he suffered an injury and flew to England to be treated at The London Clinic. He returned to Egypt 25 days after his surgery to a loving audience and was able to play again for the 1963-1964 season. His next season, however, would be his last; he died in car accident in Cairo on September 28, 1965, at the age of only 26.