Tewfik Abdullah was an Egyptian football player who was the second Egyptian to appear in the English Football League. He later played four seasons in the American Soccer League

American Soccer League

The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

 before finishing his career in Canada.

Early career

Abdullah was born in either 1896 or 1897 in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

. He began his career with International Sporting Club in Cairo and played for Egypt at the 1920 Olympic Games

Football at the 1920 Summer Olympics

The football at the 1920 Summer Olympics, was one of the 154 events at the 1920 Summer Olympics, held in Antwerp. It was the fifth time football was on the Olympic schedule. The tournament was contested by 14 teams, with host country Belgium winning the gold medals...

 before moving to England.

United Kingdom

On arriving in England, Abdullah became one of a quartet of Egyptians who played British Professional Football before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

..Ron Ferguson, in his book Helicopter Dreams, tells the story that when Abdullah made his debut for Derby County

Derby County F.C.

Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 against Manchester City

Manchester City F.C.

Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

 he ran onto the pitch shouting "Where's my camel?" -on closer examination it was found his actual words were "Where's Mick Hammill?". Abdullah then moved to Scotland to play with Cowdenbeath

Cowdenbeath F.C.

Cowdenbeath Football Club are a professional Scottish football team based in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife. They currently play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League. The club plays its home games at Central Park in the centre of the town which has the unusual feature of a motor...

, then to Wales to play with Bridgend Town F.C.

Bridgend Town F.C.

Bridgend Town F.C. is a Welsh football club that currently play in the Welsh Football League First Division. They are based in Bridgend in south Wales. Historically, their local rivals were Maesteg Park who disbanded in 2009...

  He returned England for a brief spell with Hartlepool United, before moving to the United States.

United States and Canada

Nicknamed Toothpick, Abdullah signed with the Providence Clamdiggers of the American Soccer League

American Soccer League

The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

 in 1924. He spent three season with Providence before transferring to the powerhouse Fall River Marksmen

Fall River Marksmen

Fall River Marksmen was a United States soccer club, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They originally played as Fall River United before becoming known as the Marksmen after their owner, Sam Mark. During the 1920s and early 1930s they were one of the most successful soccer clubs in the United...

 during the 1926-1927 season. However, he left Fall River to join the Hartford Americans

Hartford Americans

The Hartford Americans was an American soccer club based in Hartford, Connecticut that was member of the professional American Soccer League. They joined the league in 1927, but were dropped early in the season to balance the league after the Philadelphia Celtic was suspended after only 10...

 for the 1927-1928 season. Hartford lasted only eleven games that season, folding following the October 23, 1927 game with the New Bedford Whalers

New Bedford Whalers

New Bedford Whalers was the name of three United States soccer teams based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The first Whalers played in the Southern New England Soccer League between 1914 and 1918. The second Whalers played in the American Soccer League between 1924 and 1931 before merging into Fall...

. Adbullah then played eight games with the New York Nationals  before finishing the year back with Fall River. He then moved to Montreal Carsteel of the Canadian National Soccer League

Canadian National Soccer League

The Canadian National Soccer League, known as the National Soccer League until 1993, was a professional soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997...

where he finished his career.