Meet Samar: The Alexandria Girl Chasing the Ballon d'Or

Throughout childhood, all children want is to play. The boundaries of their world are shaped by the things they love and the things that make them happy. But not all children are the same — and the proof is Samar Mohamed, 11 years old, who dreams of winning the Ballon d'Or one day, just like Brazilian legend Marta.
The story began when Samar's father started taking her to try different sports for fun and discovery, not for a professional future, the way most parents do. She moved between multiple disciplines; she tried gymnastics, boxing, and athletics, the sport her father had worked in himself. But she eventually found her place in football.
"When Samar was eight, I started noticing that she was playing football using ping pong balls and tennis balls in a way that caught my eye — standing up, sitting down, pulling off difficult moves despite her young age," Samar's father, Mohamed Fahmy, tells SceneSports. "That's when she fell in love with the game, and that's when I started calling her 'the Phenomenon.'"
The name "Samar the Phenomenon" took just one year to become known throughout Alexandria. By the time she turned nine, she had already been registered with the youth academy Al-Ittihad Al-Sakandari Football Club. "Her talent goes beyond freestyle skills alone — she also plays as an out-and-out striker," Fahmy says. She caught the eye of coaches with her ability to score, her intelligent movement across the pitch, and her ease playing with both feet. She also learned the fundamentals of the game under the guidance of Captain Ahmed Al-Ka's at his academy. In a father's faith, a daughter is always his greatest love.
Samar's remarkable success in football led her father to dedicate a significant part of his life to supporting her and nurturing her gift. Although he had no deep background in football, he set about learning everything he could to help her develop — from managing her nutrition and making sure she got enough sleep, to creating a dedicated Facebook page to post her videos, showcase her talent, and cheer her on.
"At first, I created the page to help me with my work in security and guarding," Fahmy says. "But once I saw Samar's talent, I deleted everything and started posting videos of her playing so that more people would know her. The page now has coaches and people interested in women's football following it."
But what seems even more important than all of that is the father's awareness of his responsibility toward his child first, and a professional player second. From the very beginning, he was careful to provide a calm, healthy home environment — completely free from conflict or pressure that might weigh on her spirit. He was always searching and asking questions about whatever could benefit her, whether from doctors or online.
"I taught Samar to love fruit and vegetables and to take care of what she eats — but at the same time, if she wants something, I don't deny it to her," Fahmy explains. "It's not about deprivation, it's about balance. I also try to have her train in different places, get out, play, and enjoy her time, because life isn't only football. I don't want to put so much pressure on her that she ends up resenting her own gift." This isn't just a game. It's a dream.
Samar told us about one moment she will never forget — when world freestyle footballer Jack Panna visited Egypt. He attended a tournament in Alexandria, but because of a knee injury, he refused to play with anyone in attendance. That is, until Samar asked to play with him.
She was the only one he agreed to play with. And it seems what caught his attention wasn't just her skill, but also the unmistakable bond of support between her and her father — so much so that he wrote about her on his personal accounts. As Mohamed Fahmy recalls to us, Panna said, "Samar… everyone who watches her is stunned by her talent. She's not better than Mohamed Salah — but he can't do what she does either."
As for Samar herself, she doesn't see football as just a game. It is a great dream she is pursuing with steady, certain steps. "I want to win the Ballon d'Or once, twice, three times — just like Marta from Brazil," Samar Mohamed says. "I want the whole world to know me. Sara Essam won the Golden Boot, and inshallah, I will win the Ballon d'Or."
In the end, this story is not only about a gifted girl. Samar sees her father as her hero: "Baba runs after me to make everything I dream of doing happen." And the two of them share the very same dream — Samar chasing it on the pitch, and her father chasing it right alongside her, from the outside.