Aboutrika's efforts with Ahly drew attention from the Egyptian national team, he started his first game against Trinidad and Tobago in a friendly match before the World Cup 2006 qualifiers on 31 March 2004 in Arab Contractors Stadium.

He proved to be his international team's trump card en route to victory in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in February, when he scored two important goals against Libya and Ivory Coast.

In the opening match of the tournament against Auckland City FC of New Zealand on 10 December 2006, Aboutrika helped Al Ahly to secure and book a semi-final date with Internacional of Brazil.

Al Ahly won 2–0, and Aboutrika capped a fine display by stroking a superbly flighted free-kick over the wall, scoring the second goal for his team.

Al Ahly lost the match 2–1, but proved a good efficiency, yet the ball refused to be netted in many available chances to score in Brazilian goalkeeper.

In the second half, America scored an equalizer, Aboutrika appeared in the 79th minute with a skilled ball, he showed yet again why he is on the shortlist for the African player of the year.

To the FIFA.com expression,[5] He was nominated to win the 2006 CAF African Footballer of the Year award along with Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and FC Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o.

The other nominees for the honour were Chelsea and Ghana international midfielder Michael Essien, and Nigeria and Portsmouth striker Nwankwo Kanu, who previously won the award twice.

"Aboutrika has won the highest prize any person can achieve, that is the love of the people," sports columnist Hassan Mistikawi wrote in the state-owned Al-Ahram daily newspaper.

He said: "Aboutrika didn't introduce all what he has in FIFA Club World Cup 2006, but he got the top scorer title and helped leading his team to the third place".

In the previous tournament in 2006, he scored the latest decisive penalty shoot-out in the final match against the Ivory Coast to give Egypt the cup.

Aboutrika rehealed from injury in August, after missing the group stage start of 2008 CAF Champions League with his team Al Ahly.

On 14 September, Aboutrika scored the second goal for Al Ahly against their rivals, Zamalek SC of Egypt, in a group game that ended 2–2.

For the topmost honour, Glo-CAF Player of the Year across the world, the contenders are Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo), Michael Essien (Chelsea and Ghana) and Mohamed Aboutrika (Al Ahly and Egypt).

Finally, he blasted the third from into the top right corner from 12 yards out to get the hat-trick, complete the comeback, and secure Al Ahly a place in the 2012 CAF Champions League group stage.

[15] In the third game against Belarus, Aboutrika assisted a goal for Mohamed Salah and scored another to help Egypt win 3–1 and claim a quarter-final berth.

[16] Club World Cup Aboutrika scored the winner goal for Al Ahly in a 2–1 victory over Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Aboutrika became the joint all-time top scorer in the FIFA Club World Cup with 4 goals, alongside Lionel Messi and Denilson.

On 5 December 2013, the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) announced its reduced shortlist of ten nominees for the 2013 Player of the Year award.

Aboutrika proved to be his international team's trump card en route to victory in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in February, when he scored two important goals against Libya and Ivory Coast.

Or, in fact, should he be admired for remaining loyal to his homeland, simply being happy with what he has achieved and not feeling the need to chase the glamour and millions of the Premier League or La Liga?.

He marked his national return against Congo DR in Kinshasa on 7 September 2008 scoring the winning goal for Egypt, to secure the Pharaohs' place in the second round of Qualifications.

[15] In the third game against Belarus, Aboutrika assisted a goal for Mohamed Salah and scored another to help Egypt win 3–1 and claim a quarter-final berth.

[26] He volunteered to appear in a WFP 30-second Public Service Announcement (PSA) in which he draws attention to the tragic fact that 25,000 people die from hunger every day, 18,000 of them children.

[27] After scoring a goal in Egypt's 3–0 over Sudan in the 2008 African Cup of Nations Aboutrika removed his jersey to show a T-shirt reading "Sympathize with Gaza".

He was given a yellow card for breaking FIFA's rule against displaying political slogans during play, and was said to face possible further sanctions, but finally CAF made no punishments.

[28] Breaking with the tradition of soccer players standing on the sidelines of popular revolts in the Middle East and North Africa, if not supporting autocratic leaders, Aboutrika announced late that he would not be joining his fellow Al Ahly players on 9 September 2012 in Egypt Super Cup final against ENPPI, Egypt's first domestic match since this month's lifting of a seven-month ban on professional soccer.

The group opposes the resumption of soccer as long as justice has not been done for the 74 Al Ahly supporters who were killed in February Egypt's worst sporting incident in a politically loaded brawl in the Suez Canal city of Port Said and fans are not allowed to attend matches.

(Discourses of Public Behavior in Egypt / Sherifa Zuhur / Paper prepared for the Association of Middle Eastern and African Studies, September 2016.

[31] On 18 May 2024, the Egyptian Court of Cassation annuls the registration of Mohamed Aboutrika, and more than 1,500 people, on “terrorist” lists established because of their alleged links with the Muslim Brotherhood.