Juan Bezerra's Transfer to Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai
Zamalek have drawn a firm line under the Juan Alvina Bezerra saga. One season in Cairo. Then the Brazilian is gone.
Club chairman Hussein Labib and his board confirmed on Saturday that a final agreement has been reached for Bezerra’s transfer to Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai in the UAE, bringing an abrupt end to a stint that promised plenty but finished in tension.
The split had been coming.
Bezerra skipped Zamalek’s pre-season preparations and stayed away from early matches, making it clear he wanted out during the current summer window. That stance left him on the outside as the new campaign began, his future the subject of more discussion than his football.
He eventually returned to Cairo last Saturday, rejoining training but not his old path. From the moment he landed, the message from his camp stayed the same: he wanted a new challenge. Talks with Shabab Al-Ahli accelerated, and within days the deal was moving towards the finish line.
Zamalek granted him permission to travel to the UAE for his medical, a clear sign that the club had accepted his departure. All that remained was the paperwork. On Saturday, the White Castle made it official.
In an official statement, the club said: “The board of Zamalek, chaired by Hussein Labib, announces that an agreement has been reached regarding the transfer of Brazilian Juan Bezerra to Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai of the UAE, after the requirements set by Zamalek at the start of the negotiations in the summer transfer window this year were met.”
So ends a season that, on the pitch at least, looked anything but troubled.
Bezerra featured in 44 matches across all competitions last term, scoring 8 goals and supplying 12 assists. At his best, he stitched Zamalek’s attacks together, driving them through key moments and leaving a mark on several tournaments with decisive contributions.
His efforts helped carry the team to the Egyptian Premier League title, his first and only trophy in the famous White shirt. It should have been the base for a longer stay. Instead, it became the high point of a short story.
The ending, crucially, came on his own request. Once he pushed for the exit, the relationship never truly recovered, even as negotiations dragged and the new season loomed.
Shabab Al-Ahli chose a different tone for their side of the announcement. “They searched for the date of the announcement.. Dubai is the destination,” the club’s official account posted, framing the move as a long-anticipated arrival.
For Zamalek, it is now about replacing a productive, if restless, talent. For Bezerra, it is about proving that this leap to Dubai is a step up, not just an escape.
