[1][2] Al-Tabei was given the nickname El-Dhizui for his likeness to a local-based Italian player called Desi Lucetti.

The coach alerted the club's president Abdel-Rahman Lotfi Pasha and, at the age of 16, the player was signed up for the team.

He quickly became a regular in the first team helping the club to win six titles in the Canal Zone League in 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, and 1948, also reaching three Egyptian Cup finals.

In one game against Norway in Oslo in 1955, El-Dhizui scored all five goals for Egypt in their 5–4 win over the Scandinavians and was offered contracts from various European based clubs.

He did not pursue these, however, and eventually joined Al-Ahly, winning four league titles and two cups in his five seasons at the club.