{{Short description|Egyptian footballer (1993–2024)}} {{distinguish|Ahmed Rifaat (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Ahmed Refaat | image = Ahmed_Refaat.png | caption = Refaat with the Egypt national football team | full_name = Ahmed El Sayed Refaat Ahmed<ref>{{cite web|url=http://efa.com.eg/Content/NewsDocument/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA_/f61dbce5-13d2-4650-85ff-c4e9056fdcfa.pdf |title=Egypt preliminary squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations |publisher=CAF/EFA |format=PDF |page=2 |date=7 January 2022 |access-date=6 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce14/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021: List of players: Egypt |publisher=FIFA |page=3 |date=4 December 2021 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date|1993|6|20|df=y}} | birth_place = Ibshan, Bila, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt | death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|7|6|1993|6|20|df=y}} | death_place = Cairo, Egypt | height = 1.80 m<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uaeproleague.ae/en/player/ahmed-elsayed-refaat-ahmed-elsawy/adnoc-pro-league-1 |title=Ahmed Refaat |publisher=UAE Pro League |access-date=10 July 2023 }}</ref> | position = Winger | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = ENPPI | years1 = 2013–2016 | clubs1 = ENPPI | caps1 = 48 | goals1 = 12 | years2 = 2016–2020 | clubs2 = Zamalek | caps2 = 19 | goals2 = 4 | years3 = 2019 | clubs3 = → ENPPI (loan) | caps3 = 13 | goals3 = 2 | years4 = 2019–2020 | clubs4 = → Al Ittihad (loan) | caps4 = 23 | goals4 = 7 | years5 = 2020–2021 | clubs5 = Al Masry | caps5 = 30 | goals5 = 8 | years6 = 2021–2024 | clubs6 = Future / Modern Future | caps6 = 40 | goals6 = 10 | years7 = 2022–2023 | clubs7 = → Al Wahda (loan) | caps7 = 6 | goals7 = 1 | totalcaps = 179 | totalgoals = 44 | nationalyears1 = 2013 | nationalteam1 = Egypt U20 | nationalcaps1 = 7 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 2013–2022 | nationalteam2 = Egypt | nationalcaps2 = 7 | nationalgoals2 = 2 | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's association football }} {{MedalCountry | {{EGY}} }} {{MedalCompetition | U-20 Africa Cup of Nations }} {{MedalGold | 2013 Algeria | Team }} }}
'''Ahmed El Sayed Refaat Ahmed''' ({{langx|ar|أَحْمَد السَّيِّد رِفْعَت أَحْمَد}}; 20 June 1993 – 6 July 2024) was an Egyptian footballer who played mainly as a winger.<ref>{{Cite web |title=365 player profile: Ahmed Refaat |url=https://www.365scores.com/football/player/ahmed-refaat-49610 |access-date=10 May 2023 |website=www.365scores.com}}</ref>
He made his debut for ENPPI in 2013, coming from the youth academy, and quickly established a place for himself in the club's starting line-ups. He joined Zamalek in 2016, and won the Egyptian Super Cup during his spell with the club, before joining his former club ENPPI and Al Ittihad on loan. In 2020, he joined Al Masry but depated a year later to join newly-promoted side Future (later renamed Modern Future), guiding the team to win the inaugural Egyptian League Cup trophy in 2022, and to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup in 2023. He had a loan spell at UAE club Al Wahda in 2022.
Refaat represented Egypt at youth and senior level. He was part of the winning squad of the 2013 African U-20 Championship and played at the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup. He died on the morning of 6 July 2024, aged 31, due to heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Egyptian footballer Ahmed Refaat dies aged 31 |url=https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/6/55/526693/Sports/World/Egyptian-footballer-Ahmed-Refaat-dies-aged-.aspx |date=6 July 2024 |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=Al Ahram Online}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=مدير مركز القلب يكشف سبب وفاة أحمد رفعت رغم تحسن حالته |url=https://www.filgoal.com/articles/485776 |trans-title=Director of the Heart Center reveals the cause of Ahmed Refaat’s death despite his improved condition |date=6 July 2024 |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=FilGoal |language=Arabic}}</ref>
==Club career== Refaat started his career with ENPPI. In 2016, he joined Zamalek but was loaned back to ENPPI and then to Al Ittihad in 2019. In November 2020, he transferred to Al Masry,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kingfut.com/2020/11/06/ahmed-refaat-signs-for-al-masry/ |title=OFFICIAL: Al Masry sign Zamalek winger |website=kingfut.com |access-date=6 November 2020 }}</ref> but a year later, joined Modern Future. He had a loan spell at Al Wahda in 2022, which was abruptly cancelled after a few months. He returned to Future where he played until his death in 2024.
On 11 March 2024, during a league match against Al Ittihad, Refaat lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goal.com/en/lists/mohamed-salah-former-team-mate-ahmed-refaat-on-pitch-heart-attack-stops-breathing-more-than-hour-egyptian-premier-league-game-suspended/blt091c6b9057ff6738 |title=Mohamed Salah's former team-mate Ahmed Refaat suffers on-pitch heart attack and stops breathing 'for more than an hour' as Egyptian Premier League game is suspended due to shocking incident |publisher=Goal.com |date=12 March 2024 }}</ref> He had suffered a heart attack due to a rare medical condition but regained consciousness a week later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.egyptindependent.com/ahmed-refaat-suffering-from-rare-medical-condition-doctor/ |title=Ahmed Refaat suffering from rare medical condition: Doctor |publisher=Egypt Independent |date=19 March 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kingfut.com/2024/03/20/refaat-very-promising-stage/ |title=Ahmed Refaat reaches ‘very promising’ stage as he gains partial consciousness |publisher=Kingfut |date=20 March 2024 }}</ref>
===Al Wahda controversy=== Following Refaat's death, his brother and his agent claimed that Ahmed Diab, the then-owner of Future and eventual president of the Egyptian Premier League, refused to correctly organize Refaat's travel permits to complete his move to Al Wahda, leading to a row between Refaat and Egyptian government officials, who argued Refaat had not been given the requisite permission to travel as he had not yet completed military service.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5658228/2024/07/31/ahmed-refaat-death-egypt-mohamed-salah/|title=The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death|publisher=The Athletic|first=Simon|last=Hughes|date=31 July 2024|accessdate=31 July 2024}}</ref> Upon returning to Egypt, Refaat was imprisoned for two months at a military barracks, but was able to train with military-backed club Tala'ea El Gaish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5658228/2024/07/31/ahmed-refaat-death-egypt-mohamed-salah/|title=The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death|publisher=The Athletic|first=Simon|last=Hughes|date=31 July 2024|accessdate=31 July 2024}}</ref>
Diab denied refusing to authorise Refaat's travel documents, stating Refaat had clearance to travel to Liberia to play a friendly with Future before moving to the UAE, while government officials reiterated the permits for players departing Egypt who had not yet completed military service is organised by their clubs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5658228/2024/07/31/ahmed-refaat-death-egypt-mohamed-salah/|title=The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death|publisher=The Athletic|first=Simon|last=Hughes|date=31 July 2024|accessdate=31 July 2024}}</ref> Refaat's legal representatives suggested his unexpected departure from Ghana (as a transit country) instead of Liberia into the UAE meant he was not permitted to travel, while the documents did not cover the length of his loan move.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5658228/2024/07/31/ahmed-refaat-death-egypt-mohamed-salah/|title=The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death|publisher=The Athletic|first=Simon|last=Hughes|date=31 July 2024|accessdate=31 July 2024}}</ref> He returned to Egypt by January 2023, after featuring a handful of times for Al Wahda.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5658228/2024/07/31/ahmed-refaat-death-egypt-mohamed-salah/|title=The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death|publisher=The Athletic|first=Simon|last=Hughes|date=31 July 2024|accessdate=31 July 2024}}</ref>
== Death == Refaat died of a heart attack in Cairo, on 6 July 2024, at the age of 31.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kamal |first=Karim |date=6 July 2024 |title=وفاة أحمد رفعت لاعب مودرن سبورت |trans-title=The death of Ahmed Refaat, Modern Sports player |url=https://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/3207381 |access-date=6 July 2024 |work=Al-Masry Al-Youm}}</ref>
==Career statistics== :''Scores and results list Egypt's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Refaat goal.''
{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ List of international goals scored by Ahmed Refaat |- !scope="col"|No. !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition |- |align="center"|1 |4 December 2021 |Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar |{{fb|SDN}} |align="center"|1–0 |align="center"|5–0 |rowspan="2"|2021 FIFA Arab Cup |- |align="center"|2 |11 December 2021 |Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar |{{fb|JOR}} |align="center"|2–1 |align="center"|3–1 {{aet}} |}
==Honours== '''Zamalek''' * Egyptian Super Cup: 2017
'''Future''' * Egyptian League Cup: 2022
'''Egypt U20''' * African U-20 Championship: 2013
== See also ==
* List of association footballers who died while playing
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Goalzz|108138}} * {{Soccerway|ahmed-refat/299867}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Refaat, Ahmed}} Category:1993 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Egyptian men's footballers Category:Men's association football wingers Category:Egypt men's international footballers Category:Egypt men's youth international footballers Category:Egyptian Premier League players Category:UAE Pro League players Category:ENPPI SC players Category:Zamalek SC players Category:Al Ittihad Alexandria Club players Category:Al Masry SC players Category:Modern Sport FC players Category:Al Wahda FC players Category:Egyptian expatriate men's footballers Category:Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates Category:Egyptian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Category:Respiratory disease deaths in Egypt Category:21st-century Egyptian sportsmen