Haissem Hassan: World Cup pedigree & La Liga experience – who is reported Celtic target?

Hassan played just 126 minutes at this summer’s World Cup, but it was enough to send his reputation rocketing.

He did not feature in any of Egypt’s Group G matches against Belgium, Iran and New Zealand, with head coach Hossam Hassan later revealing it was down to a paperwork delay in registering the former France youth international.

Hassan was finally unleashed as a second-half substitute in Egypt’s last-32 penalty shootout win over Australia – before delivering a standout performance against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

A left-footer deployed on the right flank, he started the last-16 match and set up Mostafa Zico’s goal, skipping past Enzo Fernandez before drilling in a precise delivery, as Egypt moved 2-0 up only to ultimately lose 3-2 to the defending champions and eventual beaten finalists.

However, it was the Egyptians’ infamous disallowed goal that showcased Hassan’s direct running and dynamic dribbling qualities. Bursting forward from the right-back area, he evaded two challenges in a 60-yard run before threading a pass through for Mo Salah to tee up Zico.

Across his two World Cup performances, Hassan registered nine dribble attempts at a rate of 6.4 per 90 minutes.

If Celtic had hoped to keep their interest in the 24-year-old under the radar, that prospect was blown out of the water with his impact on football’s biggest stage.