Emam was born in Cairo on 1 May 1919. He was born during the 1919 Revolution and was named Yehia El-Horreya which means in Arabic: Long Live the Freedom. He joined the Egyptian Military College in 1936, and graduated as a military officer in the Egyptian Armed Forces.
Emam started his career in Zamalek in the youth team, he played throughout his career in Zamalek, he won with his team five Egypt Cup titles; (1938, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1952). With Emam guarding Zamalek's goal, they won the Cairo League for nine seasons; (1939–40, 1940–41, 1943–44, 1944–45, 1946–47, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53). Yehia Emam is considered a symbol for Zamalek fans and one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the club.
He worked as a military officer in the Egyptian Armed Forces for his entire career. He was married and he's the father of the Zamalek's legend Hamada Emam and grandfather of Zamalek's legend Hazem Emam. Emam died in Cairo at the age of 78 in 1997.