Option declined following 2018 season.
Ghazal is a top midfield player who is comfortable on the ball and strong defensively. He made seven starts after arriving midway through the 2017 season and is a good fit for the Whitecaps' style of play. He provides quality depth and experience to the Vancouver midfield.
INTERNATIONAL: Internationally, the native of Aswan, Egypt has made five senior appearances for his national team, including two starts in qualifying matches for the 2015 African Cup of Nation. Ghazal has also represented Egypt at the U-20 level.
OUTSIDE MLS: Ghazal has spent most of his career with Portuguese Primeira Liga side C.D. Nacional, playing five seasons from 2012 until 2017. The 6-foot-2 Ghazal, who can also line up at centre back, started 102 of his 107 appearances in the Pimeira Liga. In Portugal, Ghazal became the first Egyptian player to become a captain of a top-level European football team in 2016. While with Nacional, Ghazal also had 14 combined appearances in the Taça da Liga and Taça de Portugal competitions. He was a member of the Nacional side that reached the semifinal of the Taça de Portugal in 2015, bowing to eventual champions Sporting CP that included current Whitecaps FC striker Fredy Montero. He also made two starts in the UEFA Europa League, scoring a goal against FC Dinamo Minsk in August 2014. In January 2017, Ghazal was transferred to Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng FC. However, due to the new Chinese Football Association player regulations, which decreased the number of foreign players permitted to play, Ghazal did not make an appearance for the Chinese Super League club. In July, Ghazal and Guizhou HFZC mutually agreed to terminated his contract.
