Zamalek: Egypt giants seeking to be kings again
As Zamalek prepare to face RS Berkane in the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup final on Sunday, Egyptian football's overachievers find themselves in familiar territory.
The White Knights are among some of the few clubs that have made African club competition their own personal fiefdoms over the past decades.
The Cairo-based club established themselves as one of the most decorated clubs in African football history with five TotalEnergies CAF Champions League titles and one TotalEneregies CAF Confederation Cup trophy to their name.
Their latest quest for continental supremacy is merely the continuation of an enduring love affair with Africa's club competitions as Zamalek have graced with a catalogue of iconic performances and indelible memories.
The Cairo giants etched their name into the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup's roll of honour in 2019, defeating Moroccan opponents RS Berkane to claim their first title of the revamped tournament.
The TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup was established in 2004 from a merger of the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners' Cup and before the fusion of the two competitions, Zamalek had won Cup Winners' Cup in 2000.
It would prove to be the start of Zamalek capturing of titles in the second tier continental club competition having won the Champions League titles 1984, 1986, 1993, 1996 and 2002.
Their 2019 triumph was perhaps the most dramatic of all, as the White Knights beat RS Berkane on penalties in the final to win the Confederation Cup title for the first time.
That victory encapsulated the spirit and resolve that has become synonymous with Zamalek's exploits on the continent.
The White Knights' pedigree extends far beyond mere statistics, however. The Confederation Cup has provided the stage for some of the club's most revered players to etch their names into folklore.
Iconic figures such as Abdel Halim Ali, Hazem Emam, Ahmed Hossam 'Mido', Emmanuel Amunike, Emmanuel Quarshie, and Shikabala have all played integral roles in shaping Zamalek's legacy as continental heavyweights.
Shikabala was the key player behind Zamalek's most recent Confederation Cup triumph in 2019, leading the club to the promised.
As they prepare to lock horns with Berkane once again, Zamalek coach Portuguese tactician Jose Gomes will be leaning heavily on that institutional knowledge and experience of captain Shikabala, aware that his side's status as continental heavyweights will be put to the test over two highly-charged legs.
Profile:
Club: Zamalek
Founded: 12th March, 1911
City: Cairo
Coach: Jose Gomes
Confederation Cup titles: 2019