Earn himself a place in illustrious football club’s history LONDON: It has been a special week for Egyptian internationals in the English Premier League. Mohamed Salah lifted the title with Liverpool while at the opposite end of the table, Mahmoud Trezeguet stepped up when needed to help ensure that Aston Villa survived in the world’s most popular league – just. On July 9, Villa lost 3-0 to Manchester United to continue a dismal run that had seen the Birmingham-based club collect just two points from a possible 30. That left the team four points off safety with just four games to go – few thought it could be done. Yet up stepped Trezeguet to help save one of the most famous British clubs and, whatever happens in the future, to earn himself a place in their illustrious history. As the season ended on Sunday, the whole squad celebrated after a 1-1 draw with West Ham United clinched a Premier League place for another season. It had been tight and tense as well as unexpected. Just three days after the United loss, Villa faced Crystal Palace in a game that simply had to be won. It was, 2-0, with Trezeguet scoring both goals to give the team three points, a fighting chance and belief. There was more to come. In the last home game of the season, an in-form Arsenal, came to Villa Park. Trezeguet scored the only goal to give his team a first home win against the Gunners since 1998. More importantly, it took the Clarets out of the bottom three ahead of the final game above Watford. Villa head coach Dean Smith was delighted with the winger’s form. “It’s funny, ‘Trez’ is one that came in late last summer and it’s taken a while in terms of adaptation,” Smith said. “He has got his third goal in three games now and it was a super finish. His attitude is spot on and he works his socks off. This is a result we needed and we knew we needed. Our fate is now in our hands.” Trezeguet was not able to find the target against West Ham on the final day to ease the tensions. In the end however, only Jack Grealish, the homegrown hero outscored the Egyptian, by eight goals to six. Trezeguet also recorded three assists and he was able to look back at his first English campaign with satisfaction. “If we had lost or drawn against Crystal Palace, we would’ve been relegated and against Arsenal, we played against a very strong team that had defeated both Liverpool and Manchester City in the same week,” Trezeguet said on Sunday after earning the plaudits of fans, team-mates and coach. “Hard work always pays off,” he added. “It was a tough season because sometimes I play, sometimes I don’t but I always believed that my chance would come. In the end, I had my chance and I’m happy that I had a role in keeping Aston Villa in the Premier League.” That role was vindication for both player and coach. Last summer Smith travelled to Africa to Trezeguet in international action before making the final decision to shell out around $11 million. It was a difficult start for a new signing and a club that just scraped into the Premier League, coming up through the playoffs. The Birmingham-based club spent around $184 million on new players which meant that it was always likely to take Smith time to gel his squad together. In the early stages of the season, the Trezeguet did not impress and soon he was in and out of the starting line-up as the team struggled back in the top flight. Fans of the 1982 European Champions felt that Trezeguet, given his name at the age of nine by a teacher struck by his resemblance to the ex-French international, felt that he may be too lightweight for the hustle and bustle of England’s top tier. Helped by compatriot Ahmed Elmohamady however, the veteran Egyptian defender joined Villa in 2017, Trezeguet started to settle and scored against Liverpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea. These were welcome signs even if all ended in defeats. His goals later in the season were, however, crucial. “He’s an important player for us,” said Villa and England defender Tyrone Mings. “I said before that I show up in difficult times,” Trezeguet said. That was certainly the case. Mo Salah has earned his headlines and success but Mahmoud Trezeguet’s role in keeping Aston Villa in the English Premier League will never be forgotten.