After the end of his contract at Borussia Dortmund, Anthony Modeste appeared to be desperate in the European market. However, the Super League veteran has decidedly opted for the African game with the intention of continuing his soccer career. Cairo National officially announced that Modeste, 35, has signed a one-year contract with a one-year extension option.
Looking back to last season, Aly unfortunately suffered from testicular cancer, Modeste as the Ivory Coast's replacement, supporting Dortmund in the line of fire. In the season before joining the Hornets, Modeste scored 23 goals in all competitions and was regarded as an efficient scorer in the Bundesliga. However, after arriving at Dortmund, the French striker's performance was not as good as before and he only scored two goals in the whole season.
Despite all the talk about Modeste joining Dortmund, the man himself insists it was not the wrong choice: "I can certainly understand that people have this opinion because my performances at Dortmund are far from what they used to be. But it was definitely a great challenge for me. I ended up in the Champions League and we fought until the end in the battle for the league title. Isn't that a success?"
Apparently, Modeste has no regrets about joining Borussia Dortmund, even if it costs him. Last week, Modeste and his agent Dino Lamberti began negotiations with Egyptian giants Cairo National. After an agreement was reached, Modeste completed part of his medical in Germany and then traveled to Switzerland to complete the remainder of his medical.
On Monday, Modeste flew to Egypt with agent Dino Lamberti and met with executive CEO Amir Tawfik and head coach Marcel Koller. Later that evening, Cairo National officially released the announcement of Modeste's signing.
According to Egyptian media reports, Modeste's annual salary is $1.6 million after taxes and a $250,000 signing-on fee. If he performs well in the Club World Cup and African Champions League, Cairo National will add a $300,000 bonus for him. At his new club, Modeste will wear the No. 10 kit.
On Tuesday evening, Modeste will take part in training for the first time before he travels with the team to Saudi Arabia Alge (Algeria) for the African Super Cup. If all goes well, Modeste will soon be celebrating his first trophy with Cairo National.
