But hold on, someone will come along and tell you that he was not a permanent starter with Manchester City, that he was not the number one star in the team, that his European titles came in the presence of a group of the best players in the world, and perhaps they will add that there is someone technically better than him!
Well.. what about Mohamed Salah?!
Mohamed Salah is the best player in Arab history!
The man has built an exceptional career at Liverpool. One of the most prominent stars of the Premier League in the modern era, he has won the Champions League and the Premier League, and holds records and individual awards that are hard to ignore.
But wait.. someone will emerge to say: how can he be the best Arab player in history when he has not won the Africa Cup of Nations with his national team? How can you place a player who has not won a continental title with Egypt above players who lifted the African Cup more than once?
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And what about Achraf Hakimi?!
Achraf Hakimi is the best player in Arab history!
One of the most prominent right-backs in the world, Hakimi has carved out an exceptional European career with major clubs. He has won the Champions League and ranks among the brightest stars of the Moroccan side that pulled off a historic feat at the 2022 World Cup.
But the answer is ready too: "He is a defender at the end of the day!". As if playing in a defensive position detracts from a player's value, or as if impact in football can only be measured by the number of goals!
Majed Abdullah is the best player in Arab history!
The legend of Saudi football. One of the greatest goalscorers in the history of Asian football, he piled up the goals for Al-Nassr and the Saudi national team.
But what will you hear?: "Are we going to return to the black-and-white era? Where did Majed Abdullah play? And what achievements did he accomplish outside the Arab pitches? And how can he be compared to players who faced the best stars in the world in the major European leagues?".
And Mohamed Aboutrika?!
The best player in Arab history, according to many of those who witnessed his talent and his exceptional impact with Al-Ahly and the Egyptian national team. A champion of Africa several times, he lifted continental and world honours with his club and his country.
But there will be those who say: "All his titles came in Africa! Why did he not go professional in Europe? And why did he not test himself in the major leagues? And are the titles of Al-Ahly and the Egyptian national team enough to compete for the title of the best Arab player?".
And so.. the argument never ends!
Choose Hossam Hassan and someone will remind you that most of his career came in African and Arab football. Pick Rabah Madjer and someone will downplay his staying power at the European summit. Go for Badou Zaki and some will point to the difference in era. And if you choose Sami Al-Jaber or Saeed Al-Owairan or Lakhdar Belloumi or Yasser Al-Qahtani or Ahmed Radhi or Jassem Yaqoub or Tarek Dhiab or any other Arab great, you will always find someone searching for an angle to undermine your choice.
Dozens of legends from different nationalities and generations, each of them with something that sets them apart and something that can be discussed and criticised.
But why does every choice turn into a battle?
The problem is not the disagreement over the identity of the best Arab player in history, for that is a natural and enjoyable debate, but rather in the way we manage this disagreement.
It sometimes seems that some fans do not want to prove that their player is the best as much as they want to prove that the others do not deserve to compete, as if the road to elevating their candidate passes only through demolishing the rest of the candidates!
If you see that Mohamed Salah is the best, then why do you need to downplay Hakimi or Mahrez or others? And if you are convinced that Riyad Mahrez surpasses everyone, then why does his non-participation in some matches become a reason to mock his achievements? And if you see that Majed Abdullah is the greatest, then why do you diminish the value of the later generations?
Why do we demolish others' legends to bolster our own legend?
Comparing players does not mean one of them must be without flaws, nor that the candidate you choose must possess every possible achievement.
Every player has their circumstances, their generation, their position, the nature of the competitions they took part in, and the challenges they faced.
It is your right to see Salah as the best, and it is the Algerian's right to choose Mahrez, and it is the Moroccan's right to defend Hakimi, and it is the Saudi's right to place Majed Abdullah at the summit, and it is the Egyptian's right to hold on to Aboutrika or Hossam Hassan.
And it is everyone's right to disagree, and to discuss the numbers, the titles and the levels, and even to criticise one another with footballing arguments.
But it is not natural for every discussion to turn into an attempt to strip others of their right to take pride in their legends.
Elevate your candidates instead of demolishing others!
Mohamed Salah does not need to downplay Mahrez in order to become great. Mahrez does not need to deny Salah's achievements. Aboutrika does not lose his talent because he did not play in Europe, Hakimi does not become less valuable because he plays in a defensive position, and Majed Abdullah does not lose his status because football has changed since his era.
We have a rich Arab history full of stars and legends, and we are supposed to all take pride in it, not to treat it as a competition to bring one another down.
So perhaps the most important question is not: who is the best Arab player in history? But rather: why can some people not celebrate their legends without harbouring footballing resentment towards the legends of others?
