After facing consistent criticism from several club legends since his arrival, Al Ahly head coach Jose Riveiro has finally earned some praise from one of the former players.
When Riveiro was appointed, some of the club’s ex-players expressed dissatisfaction, citing his lack of experience in African football.
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The Spanish tactician joined the Egyptian Premier League giants from Orlando Pirates in May and was immediately tasked with leading the team in the ongoing 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
During his time with the Buccaneers in South Africa, Riveiro built a reputation as a progressive coach, guiding the team to three MTN8 titles, and two Nedbank Cup trophies.
However, Riveiro failed to secure a single win in the Club World Cup, suffering a defeat to Palmeiras and earning draws against Inter Miami and FC Porto. As a result, the Red Devils were eliminated from the competition after finishing at the bottom of Group A.
Despite the early exit, Al Ahly’s spirited 4-4 draw with Porto in their final group-stage match drew praise from club legend Ahmed Shobeir. The former goalkeeper commended Riveiro’s efforts, saying the team’s performance helped the 49-year-old coach gain the trust of the fans.
"The Al-Ahly match against Porto was the most beautiful match, the four goals, even the penalty kick, were good and the match should have ended with a win," said Shobeir, as quoted by Masray.com.
"It was a close game, a win within reach, and I really liked Jose Riveiro's behaviour. As soon as he sensed a gap in the midfield, Hamdi Fathi came off and Aliou Dieng came on. That was a bold move that should be credited to him."
"Even if we had won 10-0, we wouldn't have qualified, because Palmeiras tied with Inter Miami. The surprise is that Al Ahly fans were very satisfied with the performance, because they've been missing beautiful, attacking football for a long time," he explained.
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"Rivero gained the fans' trust, but unfortunately the fourth goal cost you 50 million pounds. Al-Ahly was very unlucky in the tournament," added the former Egypt goalkeeper.
"Yasser Ibrahim, their most important defender, was injured, and before him Imam Ashour, and Wissam Abu Ali scored a hat-trick, and suddenly he suffered a hamstring injury and left the field early, while he was at the peak of his brilliance, dribbling past them with his right and left feet."
Photo Cred: Al Ahly
