“We want to show ourselves in a good way, and we can dream of winning the tournament too, or of reaching a certain stage. We're not going just to make a name for ourselves . 'We went to the World Cup' and that's it. With the players we have, with the team we have, with the quality we have, and as the Egyptian national team, we are the best team in Africa. And [next summer] you go to the World Cup to pass the group stage, to show the world who you are, not just to be present.”

Marmoush made his professional debut as a sub on 8 July 2016 aged 17 for Wadi Degla – a Cairo-based side in the Egyptian Premier League who were formed as recently as 2002.

He grabbed an assist from the bench on his debut which ended in a 3-2 victory for Marmoush’s team, and he would make 18 appearances for his first club before moving to Wolfsburg in 2017, aged only 18.

His first three years in Europe would be spent largely with the Bundesliga outfit’s second XI in the Regionalliga Nord – the fourth tier of German football - making 36 appearances and scoring 11 goals before going on to serve his apprenticeship with St Pauli and VfB Stuttgart, while occasionally playing for his parent club. in-between loan moves.

For St Pauli, he would play 21 times and score seven goals in the 2.Bundesliga in 2020/21 and then he spent the 2021/22 campaign with Bundesliga giants Stuttgart, making 21 appearances and scoring three goals.

It was steady progress for the youngster, with his various loan spells undoubtedly helping shape him as a player, and he was a first-team regular in 2022/23 before he moved to Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer – a very smart piece of business by Frankfurt.

Before that, he’d already marked his senior debut for Egypt on 8 October 2021 by scoring the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Libya and has 40 caps going into the current tournament

He also played 59 of minutes of the 2021 African Cup of Nations final defeat to Senegal, so feels there is definitely unfinished business with the national team.

From being a young boy, he has long dreamed of winning a major tournament with his country and playing for one of the best clubs in Europe – and he has already realised one of those ambitions.

“My dream was always to play for one of the best clubs in the world, so this didn't come as a surprise to me [when I joined City]” he said. “When I was little, I always dreamed of reaching this goal and: being with the best coach in the world. You always imagine it, but when it actually happens, it's like something else entirely.

“You can spend 16, 17, 20 years – or in my case, 26  - working through the 15 years I played football [as a youngster] and the next 10 years I played professionally to reach something like this. So it's like a reward for everything I've worked hard for .”

As a teenager, the move to Germany was not an easy one, and it took time to adjust to a new climate, new language, new food… new everything. 

"You're not used to living outside your country, and at the same time, you won't get used to football. So, you have to catch up on both. And then there's language...

“Of course, one of the hardest things was leaving your home, your friends, and your family. That can't be compared to anything else. But once you get through that period of being away and having a goal, you're already used to it. Because I played football, I often missed school, for example, or outings with your friends, but you get used to it. But being away from your friends and family is very, very difficult, especially at such a young age. The second thing, which is also, one of the biggest challenges is adapting to the rhythm of football.

"The football, the training rhythm, the professionalism of the people, the tactics - everything related to football - it's all very difficult to adapt to. So, these two things together create a mix. You're not used to living outside your country, and at the same time, you won't get used to [different types of] football if you don't. And then there's language. If you're in a country where you don't know how to speak English, or in a country where they don't speak English at all, it's obviously more difficult. 

“I played one season with Wolfsburg and only featured in three games. I spent time with the Under-23 team, but I kept working with enthusiasm to achieve my goals. My parents worked in Canada for six years, which is how they obtained Canadian citizenship. I’ve visited Ottawa several times, but I’ve always lived in Egypt. I am 100% Egyptian!”

That didn’t stop the Canadian national team offering Marmoush the chance to represent them – a gesture he appreciated, but one he was never going  to take up: “I had only visited Canada occasionally, and despite the opportunity, my heart was set on playing for Egypt. I felt a strong connection to my roots and wanted to perform for the Pharaohs."

Marmoush admits he came to a crossroads in Germany, realising that if he really wanted to become the player he believed he could be, he had to do things differently - or face the consequences.

“When I was at Wolfsburg, I went through a period where I felt I was at my limit," he admitted. "I spent a year without playing hardly at all. Three or four matches a year, and after that year, it was either you continue, push yourself, and work on yourself, and that's it, you're here, or you go back to your country, and the dream is over. That moment of reflection was one of the most important in my career. 

“The second period was when I went to Frankfurt, and I worked on myself in every way, physically and mentally, and on the field. I was 25 years-old and it felt it was now or never. But for me, this was the year or two that would determine whether I would continue to rise to the top or stay at my current level. So those were the two periods [that helped shape my career].

"It was a very good, very positive year. But the fact that we, as a team, weren't in the best shape when I arrived, and we finished the season well, that's was a good sign. And that helped me a lot. I came, and the change started to take effect, and we started to gel as a team, and the results started to come."

It was his blistering start to the 2024/25 season at Frankfurt that made Omar Marmoush one of European football's most sought-after talents.

At the head of the queue were City, who met Frankfurt's asking price and brought their Egyptian diamond to the Etihad last January.

"For me, coming to the Premier League in the winter, not in the summer, without a pre-season, coming to a big club like this [was not easy]" he said.

"With all the pressure and everything, I mean, delivering a performance like [the hat-trick against Newcastle] was obviously a great thing, and God willing, the coming years will be even better.”

So was the transition easier from Germany to England than it was Egypt to Germany?

“Well, if you look at it from afar now, you might say that Germany was good preparation for England,” he smiled. “But of course, Germany has one of the best leagues in the world, too, but the Premier League is in a league of its own. It took me a long time to get to where I am now, even in the Bundesliga, I spent three and a half or four years It took me years to reach the point where I could play for a first team, and be a player who could play every match and deliver the kind of performances {I knew I was capable of].

"As I say], I went to four clubs before I reached that point. So, you go through phases that might be more typical of a second-division league, but those periods are what prepare you to be at this level.”

Joining City during our most challenging season for perhaps a decade was not the easiest of introductions to life in Manchester, but Marmoush found his feet quickly, ending the campaign with eight goals in 25 appearances.

“Last year, we had a lot of injuries, so the results weren't helping us much, especially since we're Manchester City, one of the clubs that always competes for championships—the Champions League, the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, FIFA Club World Cup – we are always competing for everything” he reflected.

“So, it was one of the few years where the results weren't in our favour all at once. So, how did it happen? I feel it's normal that no club in history wins every tournament every year in a row. There's always a period where you have to reset and change things you were used to in order to rebuild from scratch. This year, we started the year very, very well, and so far, we're even winning the matches have given us a certain style on the pitch, the Manchester City style that everyone knows. We win, with conviction, yes, convincingly. So, I feel a huge difference this year in the performance."

So how does he cope with the pressures of being at a club like Manchester City as well as being a huge star in a football crazy nation like Egypt?

“The person outside of football, Omar, is the same Omar on the field. You're watching him score goals, but you really need to separate the two," he said.

"When you're on the pitch and in training, you'll perform because when you're off the pitch, you're disconnected. You're not thinking about anything. Of course, it's difficult if you have an important match or are about to play because you start thinking about the match and what might happen.

"But you have to try as much as you can to [keep your mind clear] and do things like go for a walk, go shopping, read a book —there are so many things you can do to disconnect your mind from work. This will give you a positive feeling, so you'll come to work hungry again. I feel the most important thing is to separate the two.”

Now, as the Egyptian squad reunites from all corners of the globe, Marmoush’s sights are firmly set on helping the Pharaohs become African champions for the eighth time – a task he relishes.

"I go into the matches wanting to win and give my best performance, whether at City or with the national team,” he said. “As a football player, you go everywhere wanting to perform at your best. For Egypt, I am representing my country, after all. So, basically, your mentality is that in every match—cup, league, national team, Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, World Cup— you go into every match with the same mindset, trying to give your absolute best.”

And, of course, he will be playing alongside Liverpool’s Mo Salah, Egypt's greatest player and somebody Omar cites as one of his biggest inspirations: “When we're with the national team, we try to joke around with each other as a team to lighten the mood. The atmosphere is all about football, and the whole point is that your life revolves around football, so when you go to the national team, of course you still talk about football, but we try to separate it as much as possible and joke about other things.  

“I feel that people are proud that there are two Egyptians playing in the English Premier League, and that they are the two best clubs in the world. And of course, Mohamed Salah, with everything he has achieved, all the history he has made so far, is still going strong.

"I feel that [the Egyptian people] are proud of both of us.”

Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 which begins on 21 December and lasts until the final on 18 January. Good luck to both our players from everyone at Manchester City.

Words: David Clayton with thanks to Sylvie Minous and Raouf Aziz