CAIRO: Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan is hoping to see his name on top of Belgium s 2007 Player of the Year award, ahead of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.
Hassan is tipped for the prestigious prize, to be announced on Wednesday, as the Anderlecht ace came second to Meme Tchite last year.
Hopefully, this award could be a huge boost before the Nations Cup, I am looking forward to the ceremony on Wednesday, he told FilGoal.com.
It will be something important to add to my list of honors.
Hassan is top scorer for the Belgian champions so far this season with six goals, but he will not be available when the league restarts in January 19th.
The 31-year-old playmaker, who has just made his 130th appearance for the Pharaohs, believes that the holders have what it takes to shine in Ghana.
Despite some poor defending against Angola in the 3-3 draw on Sunday, Hassan is optimistic that the pre-tournament games were useful.
I think the friendlies proved that we are in good form, the score line of the Angola match was largely due to traveling fatigue, he said.
Apart from the Angola game, Egypt managed to beat Namibia 3-0 and Mali 1-0 before the African showpiece next week.
