COVID-19: Pandemic turns Egyptian soccer player into a street vendor

On a hot Saturday afternoon, Mahrous Mahmoud is busy as can be. The professional soccer player, however, is working up a sweat in a different way these days - as a street vendor. | Above: Mahmoud, right, makes Ramadan sweets at a souq, in Manfalut, a town 350 kilometers south of Cairo in the province of Assiut, Egypt.

At this time of the year, Mahmoud would be on the field playing as a defender for Beni Suef, a club in Egypt's second division. But like millions in the Arab world's most populous country, he has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. | Above: Printed photographs of Mahmoud, during football training at a club, in Manfalut.

These days, he heads to work in a crowded market in an Upper Egypt town. Shoulder-to-shoulder, shoppers jostle around stalls as he prepares a pancake-like pastry. Prior to the pandemic, Mahmoud made about $200 a month playing for his club. That went a long way toward feeding his family of three but he also did part-time jobs to supplement it. | Above: Mahmoud, right, makes Ramadan sweets, in Manfalut.

The league was shut down mid-March and Mahmoud's main source of income dried up. Egypt has implemented a strict curfew and closed cafes, malls and other shops as part of a government effort to stem the spread of the virus. His club told players to stay at home until they could return to playing. | Above: Mahmoud, looks outside a widow at his home in Manfalut.

That's not an option for Mahmoud, or many others in the Nile River region of Assuit. His family has to eat. "I should do any kind of work to help feed them," he said. | Above: Mahmoud holds up his Egyptian national football team jersey he trains with.

The market in Manfalut, a town 350 kilometers (230 miles) south of Cairo, has remained open throughout the pandemic, bustling as shoppers buy provisions for the evening meal that breaks the daily fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The small pancakes that Mahmoud makes, called qatayef in Arabic, are among the most favorite Ramadan desserts. | Above: Ramadan sweets shop where Mahmoud works at a market.

Mahmoud returned to his hometown not long after the country's partial lockdown was implemented. He looked for jobs but could only find work as a daily laborer in construction. Before the crisis, he said he could find regular work on construction sites, usually making no more than $7 a day, but now he says he's lucky if he can get two days of work a week. Then came Ramadan, and the temporary job at the pastry stall.

The 28-year-old Mahmoud is the eldest of two sons. His father worked as a part-time driver but is retired with heart problems. He supports his father, mother and brother, who live in one room of a three-story building they share with six other families of his uncles.

Mahmoud showed athletic talent from a young age. He started as a boxer in a local club, then moved on to handball, before coaches convinced him to join the club's soccer team. By 16, he went professional. | Above: A mobile photo of Mahmoud, posing for a photograph in his Beni Sueif club jersey ahead of a match.

"They told me I would be a good defender," said Mahmoud, whose teammates nicknamed him Kompany after former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany. However, Mahmoud sees Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as his role model. | Above: Alaa Antar (top), the best friend of Mahmoud, stand at the construction site where they work daily after the Iftar meal during Ramadan.

Mahmoud helped his team to the top of its league, and he hopes to advance to the country's top division. In the meantime, he'll just have to keep working, despite the dangers. There's his family, and another reason to save - Mahmoud had been scheduled to get married next month. "Nobody is immune," he said. "But those like me and my family have to survive."

From left: Mahrous Mahmoud, his father 56-year-old Mahmoud Mahrous, his 20-year-old brother goalkeeper Hossam Mahmoud, and their uncle 60-year-old Mohammed Mahrous, pose for a photograph inside their home,in Manfalut.

Mahrous Mahmoud works making Ramadan sweets at a market, in Manfalut.