PHOTO: Instagram
He was part of Arsenal’s legendary “The Invincibles” team.
But now former national team goalkeeper Rami Shaaban lives a completely different life.
And the 47-year-old also looks completely different in his gray, long hair and beard.
The breakthrough came at Djurgården in the early 2000s when they won both SM gold and cup gold with the “Blue Stripes”. Then the big move from the small Allsvenskan to the mighty Premier League and everything would change too Rami Shaaban from little Järla IF.
Undefeated Arsenal
The football goalkeeper signed for Arsenal himself and would become part of the legendary squad that went completely unbeaten in the Premier League in the 2003-04 season. That edition of Arsenal goes down in history with the nickname “The Invincibles” and their feat has not been repeated since.
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However, Shaaban had a troubled time at Arsenal. When he got his big chance as first-choice goalkeeper, the Swede suffered a nasty broken leg during a training session on Christmas Eve 2002.
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Retired in 2012
There were only five games played for “The Gunners” before his career continued to the English clubs West Ham and Brighton without any further luck. In 2008, Shaaban returned to Sweden and played the last years of his career with Hammarby before finally hanging up his boots in 2012.
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Ten years later, Rami Shaaban has reached the spotlight again, as he is recognized for the most unexpected job. English media reports on the forgotten Swede and they hardly recognize him anymore in his gray, long hair and with a distinct beard.
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Shaaban’s new job
Today, the former national team goalkeeper, who made 16 international appearances for Sweden, turned 47 years old and took on a completely new career. Shaaban has started growing and selling fruit and vegetables with his new company “Rami Fresh”.
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Thanks to his roots in Egypt, he has established a relationship between Sweden and Egypt and now delivers top-class fruit and vegetables between the countries. Shaaban sells, among other things, sweet potatoes, grapes and oranges from the best farms in Egypt to Swedish customers.
– I have done some research for about two years. I have my father’s family and relatives in Egypt, I go down five or six times a year and I wanted to do something related to both countries. Something both countries can win from. Then I realized that I can contribute in a very good way. I have very good contacts in Egypt with the best growers, there are many people down there who want to work with me considering my career and know how I work as a person. And it’s the same here in Sweden actually, said Shaaban in an interview with SportExpressen about his new venture.
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