What happened yesterday surely saddened all of us and brought our cheering spirits down. With no doubt, we all wanted the Egyptian national team to win and qualify for the quarterfinals. But as our hearts are full of sorrow, there was a light of hope at the end of the tunnel that made our day. Making Ibrahim Bassem Battisha’s dream come true, encouraging inclusivity of individuals with special needs, was definitely a heartwarming moment.

As our players came out into the field, each of them holding a child’s hand, Ahmed Hegazi was holding the hand of a child rocking an extra chromosome, Ibrahim. This joyous sight caught our attention, filling our hearts with pride.

As we were doing what we do best, digging deeper to get the juice, we found out that it all started as Ibrahim’s grandmother wrote on Facebook that his wish has always been to enter the field with the team players.

Her post read, “My lovely grandson is a football addict, he was there in Russia’s Championship match. His ultimate wish is to go into the field holding one of our players’ hands. Is there any hope his wish could come true?”

Once again, the power of social media proved itself when everyone started sharing the grandmother’s post extensively. The viral post then reached the Director of the African Cup of Nations, Mohamed Fadl, and he responded, promising Ibrahim that his dream would surely come true.

The Egyptian Football Union wrote on their official Facebook page that they’ve reached Ibrahim’s family and that they’ve done all the procedures to ensure he gets his wish. After Ibrahim walked in with Hegazi, he watched the match from a special, prestigious seat closer to the field.

Hegazi’s pictures with Ibrahim will definitely make you smile!

By Yara Tarek