Omar Khedr | |
Birth Date: | 25 May 2006 |
Birth Place: | Alexandria, Egypt |
Currentclub: | Aston Villa |
Youthclubs1: | Embercap Club |
Youthyears2: | 2015–2021 |
Youthclubs2: | Zamalek |
Youthyears3: | 2022–2024 |
Youthclubs3: | ZED |
Youthyears4: | 2024– |
Youthclubs4: | Aston Villa |
Nationalyears1: | 2021– |
Nationalteam1: | Egypt U17 |
Nationalcaps1: | 11 |
Nationalgoals1: | 3 |
Nationalyears2: | 2023– |
Nationalteam2: | Egypt U20 |
Nationalcaps2: | 4 |
Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
Nationalyears3: | 2024– |
Nationalteam3: | Egypt U23 |
Nationalcaps3: | 3 |
Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
Club-Update: | 14 August 2023 |
Nationalteam-Update: | 6 May 2024 |
Omar Khedr (Arabic: عمر خضر; born 25 May 2006) is an Egyptian footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Aston Villa.
Khedr is a product of the ZED and Zamalek academies. He joined Aston Villa in July 2024. Khedr has represented Egypt regularly at youth international level, most recently at U23 level, debuting aged seventeen.
Born in the Alexandria Governorate, Khedr began his career with the academy of Embercap Club, before going on to trial with Haras El Hodoud at the age of nine.[1] He impressed at the trial, catching the attention of Egyptian Premier League side Zamalek, whom he would go on to join.[1] [2] He would travel to Cairo from Alexandria after school to train with the club, before eventually moving to the city.[2] In January 2022 he completed a transfer to Egyptian Second Division side ZED, with the clubs agreeing on a compensation fee of roughly £100,000.[2]
In January 2023, Khedr, alongside teammates Mohamed Negm and Marwan Mahmoud, went on trial with Portuguese side Vitória de Guimarães, with Khedr scoring in a 2–2 friendly game against the youth team of Vitória.[3] Later in the same year, he was named as the best player in a youth tournament, where he played against English side Aston Villa, part of the tripartite partnership between themselves, ZED and Vitória de Guimarães, and he went on to trial with the Birmingham-based side.[4]
Despite reports in Portugal stating that he was set to join Vitória de Guimarães, in June 2023 head of ZED youth sector, Alaa Nabil, stated that he would instead be joining Aston Villa.[1]
On 14 August 2023, Aston Villa confirmed that Khedr would join them on 1 July 2024, after turning eighteen.[5] Seif Zaher, CEO of ZED club claimed that Khedr's former club, Zamalek, would receive a fee for the deal.[6] The fee was reported to be €2.76 million, making Khedr the most expensive Egyptian teenage player ever.[7] Khedr officially joined Villa in the summer of 2024 as planned, joining the U21 squad.
Khedr has represented Egypt at multiple youth levels.[8] On 20 January 2024, Khedr made his debut for Egypt U23s, aged 17, in a 1–0 friendly defeat to Iraq.[9]