Mido | ||
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Personal information | ||
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Full name | Ahmed Hossam Hussein Abdelhamid Arabic: احمد حسام حسين عبد الحميد |
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Date of birth | February 23, 1983 | |
Place of birth | Cairo, Egypt | |
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |
Playing position | Striker | |
Club information | ||
Current club | Middlesbrough | |
Number | 9 | |
Youth clubs | ||
El-Zamalek | ||
Senior clubs1 | ||
Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
1999–2000 2000–2001 2001–2003 2003 2003–2004 2004–2006 2005–2006 2006–2007 2007– |
El-Zamalek K.A.A. Gent Ajax → Celta Vigo (loan) Marseille A.S. Roma → Tottenham Hotspur (loan) Tottenham Hotspur Middlesbrough |
21 (11) 40 (21) 8 (4) 22 (7) 8 (0) 36 (13) 12 (1) 21 (6) |
4 (3)
National team2 | ||
2001– | Egypt | 48 (19) |
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
Ahmed Hossam Hussein Abdelhamid (Arabic: احمد حسام حسين عبد الحميد) , also known as Mido (born February 23, 1983)[1] is an Egyptian footballer who plays for Premier League club Middlesbrough as a striker.
Mido started his career with Zamalek in Egypt in 1999. He left the club for K.A.A. Gent of Belgium in 2000, where he won the Belgian Ebony Shoe. This led to a move to Dutch side Ajax Amsterdam in 2001, where he joined Celta Vigo on loan in 2003. His next destination was Olympique de Marseille in France and left them for Italian side A.S. Roma in 2004. He joined English side Tottenham Hotspur on an 18-month loan in 2005 and eventually joined the club permanently in 2006. He left the club in 2007 to join his current club Middlesbrough.
Mido is an Egyptian national player. He amassed 48 caps and scored 19 goals. However, his career with Egypt has been struck by controversy, having twice been banned by the national set-up.
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Mido started his career with Egyptian club El-Zamalek in 1999.[2] He scored three goals in four appearances for Zamalek, which lead to Belgian club K.A.A. Gent signing him in 2000.[2] He won the Belgian Ebony Shoe in 2001 during his only season with the club.[3]
Mido transferred to Eredivisie side Ajax Amsterdam in 2001.[4] He suffered a concussion during their UEFA Cup match with Limassol, after he collided with a defender and fell to the ground.[5] He made his return for the team against Heerenveen, which Ajax lost 5–1.[6] He was however sent off against Twente, after kicking an opponent whilst trying to beat him for the ball,[7] for which he was given a three match ban.[8] He returned for Ajax against Vitesse, by coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute.[9] He failed to be selected even for the substitutes against Feyenoord in March 2002,[10] which was due to a minor clash with manager Ronald Koeman, and Mido left for a short vacation in Cairo.[11] Mido ended the 2001–02 season with the Dutch League and Cup double, and scored in their victory over FC Utrecht which won the Amstel Cup.[12] He played for only 32 minutes against Groningen, after a display which lacked creativity.[13] He said afterwards he was tired and felt slightly injured during the game, and Ronald Koeman criticised Mido saying he was not giving everything.[14] He revealed in September 2002 that he wanted to leave Ajax in the transfer window in late December.[15] Mido apologised to Ronald Koeman and Leo Beenhakker, regarding the transfer comments he made, saying he was "irresponsible" and "unthoughtful" and was handed a fine and was suspended from Ajax's game against Lyon.[16] He later revealed in December that he wanted to stay at Ajax.[17] He scored for Ajax during their 6–0 defeat of Willem II in February 2003,[18] but Koeman again critiscised Mido, by commented negatively on his performance against Roda in the Dutch Cup.[19] He was dropped for Ajax's next game against Feyenoord, featuring as an unused substitute.[20] He suffered a muscle strain in his upper thigh after a friendly for Egypt, and was ruled out of Ajax's game against Groningen.[21] Mido was relegated to the Ajax reserve squad, which came due to disciplinary reasons.[22] One of the reasons of this was believed to be Mido not putting enough effort into training.[23] His situation at the club sparked interest from Serie A clubs Juventus and S.S. Lazio and was later reported to have thrown a pair of scissors at Ajax teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović following an argument in March 2003.[24][25]
Celta Vigo made a loan offer for Mido in March 2003,[26] which was reported to have fallen through days later as it wasn't approved by FIFA.[27] However, FIFA eventually allowed the move to go through and it was completed on March 18, 2003.[28][29] He scored on his Celta Vigo debut against Athletic Bilbao, which Celta won 2–1.[30] Ajax valued Mido between the values of €5 million and €6 million, amidst interest from clubs in Italy in Spain.[31] Newcastle United were reportedly on the verge of making a bid for Mido in May 2003, but this was ruled out by Mido's agent Christophe Henrotay.[32] Ajax attempted in making him return to the club, but he declined this, in favour of staying at Celta.[33] He suffered a strong shock in his muscle whilst training in May,[34] but was available to play in Celta's match against Villarreall, which saw Mido sent off and Celta lost 5–0.[35] Mido had been linked with a move to A.S. Roma in late May, with Roma chairman Franco Sensi stating "I want Mido",[36] but Ajax revealed they wanted €15 million for him.[37] Ajax turned down a loan move from Real Betis for Mido in June.[38] Olympique de Marseille were then believed to have made an offer for and Celta were not ready to meet Ajax's asking price of €15 million.[39][40]
Ajax accepted a €12 million bid for Mido from Marseille in July,[41] and completed the move on a five-year deal on July 12, 2003,[42] which made Mido the most expensive Egyptian player ever.[43] Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce later revealed he was his main summer target.[44] He made his debut for Marseille against Dinamo Bucharest in a pre-season game, in which he had to be substituted off due to an injury.[45] He eventually scored his first goal for the club against PAOK in a pre-season match, during which he scored two goals and made two assists.[46] He played his first official game for Marseille against Guingamp on August 2, 2003.[47] Jean-Pierre Papin gave praise to Mido, saying it was down to players like him that the French championship was of top European level for that season.[48] He scored against Real Madrid in a UEFA Champions League match in November, which Marseille lost 2–1.[49] Mido stated in March 2004 that he may leave Marseille at the end of the 2003–04 season.[50] An English club and several Spanish clubs were believed to be interested in signing Mido, who had been overshadowed at Marseille by Didier Drogba.[51] Atletico Madrid, Real Zaragoza, Osasuna and former Celta Vigo were all rumoured to be interested in signing Mido, with Atletico's interest being confirmed by their Technical Director Toni Munoz.[52] He was caught speeding on the way to Marseille's game to Monaco, which resulted in a court hearing.[53] Reports suggested A.S. Roma were ready to sign Mido for a fee of €9 million and was confirmed to be out injured for the rest of the season.[54][55] Turkish side Besiktas revealed they wanted to sign him, and Mido said he was to have talks with Bobby Robson about a possible move to Newcastle United.[56][57]
Mido eventually signed for A.S. Roma on the final day of the 2004 summer transfer window, for a fee of €6 million.[58] It was confirmed that he would miss the opening game of the season, and possibly the following two games.[59] It was confirmed that he was likely to play against Messina in September 2004, and did eventually play, but Roma lost 4–3.[60][61] Reports suggested that Mido could be sold to Valencia in a swap deal with Bernardo Corradi and was also linked with a move to Premier League side Manchester City.[62][63] Southampton were believed to have had Mido on their shortlist of targets, but his agent Christophe Henrotay said Roma would not be willing to let Mido leave the club.[64][65] It was reported that he had been offered to Southampton on loan but his agent Mino Raiola said Roma were willing to keep him until the end of the season.[66][67] He was linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, with his agent confirming he wanted a move away from Roma.[68]
Mido was signed by Tottenham Hotspur on an 18-month loan deal in January 2005.[69] He scored two goals on his Tottenham debut against Portsmouth in February 2005.[70] He scored three goals in 11 appearances during the 2004–05 season for Tottenham.[71] Mido announced plans in July 2005 to launch his own football academy in Egypt, which has the aim of nurturing the country's young talent.[72] He expressed that he did not wish to return to Roma, but rather sign permanently with Tottenham.[73] Tottenham manager Martin Jol said that the club were confident of signing Mido on a permanent deal due to his good performances,[74] but later admitted Tottenham may be defeated in keeping Mido, with other clubs interested in signing him.[75] His permanent move was put into doubt in April 2006, after he suffered a new injury problem.[76] He suffered abuse from a small section of the Southampton and West Ham United crowds in 2005, the latter of which manager Alan Pardew apologised for on behalf of the fans.[77][78] He finished the 2005–06 season with 11 goals in 27 games, meaning he was Tottenham's second highest goalscorer.[79] Tottenham confirmed in May 2006 that Mido would be returning to Roma.[80]
However, Mido re-joined Tottenham Hotspur on August 29, 2006 on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.[81] His return to Tottenham was popular with some fans, and he soon commented to the team's official website that he "always knew in his heart he would be coming back" and that he "couldn't wait to pull on a Tottenham shirt, play at the Lane and score some more goals".[82] He was called "irresponsible and disrespectful" by his manager Martin Jol, following comments Mido had made about former Tottenham player Sol Campbell.[83] After being scoreless for his first five appearances as a permanent Tottenham player, he finally found the net against West Ham United with a volley,[84] and followed that with two goals against League Two side MK Dons in the League Cup.[85] He had to contend with being fourth in line for one of the two striking spots, but insisted that this is a sign of the club's strength, and something he was fully aware of before rejoining the club.[86] However he was linked with a move to Manchester City.[87] Mido scored what looked to be his final goal for Tottenham on January 31, 2007 against Arsenal, but his potential move to Manchester City fell through half an hour before the close of the transfer window.[88][89] He eventually admitted he made a mistake by joining Tottenham on a permanent deal.[90] He ended the 2006–07 season with 23 appearances and five goals.[91]
Tottenham reached a £6 million fee with Birmingham City for Mido on July 20, 2007.[92] Birmingham manager Steve Bruce said the move was close to collapsing, as the deal reportedly faltered over the wages and the length of contract Mido was demanding.[93] The deal eventually fell through as he demanded there be clauses that he wanted in the contract.[94] In August 2007 Sunderland made a £6 million bid for him and held talks.[94] Birmingham confirmed they were trying to revive their deal to sign Mido.[95] Middlesbrough then revealed their interest in signing him, matching the £6 million of Birmingham and Sunderland and were given permission to speak to him.[96] They eventually signed Mido for a fee of £6 million on a four-year deal in August 2007.[97] He scored on his debut for Middlesbrough against Fulham and on his home debut against Newcastle United.[98][99] During the Newcastle game, Mido was reportedly subject to Islamophobic abuse from some Newcastle supporters, which The Football Association is to investigate.[100]
He suffered a stress fracture to the pubic bone which kept him out for more than three months from November 2007 until he returned to first-team action for Middlesbrough's 2–0 FA Cup victory over Mansfield Town on January 26, 2008.[101][102] He was sent off in the 80th minute in a match against Arsenal on March 15, 2008 after kicking Gaël Clichy in the face with his boot,[103] which resulted in him receiving a three-match ban.[104] Mido was ruled out for the remainder of the 2007–08 season in April following a hernia operation on a pelvic injury.[105] He made the bench for Middlesbrough's opening Premier League fixture against former club Tottenham and came on as a substitute in the 82nd minute and scored four minutes later after deflecting Didier Digard's shot.[106] The following weekend saw him score against Liverpool at Anfield to put Middlesbrough 1–0 in the lead, but eventually lost the game 2–1.[107] This was followed up goals against Yeovil Town in the League Cup and Portsmouth in the league.[108][109] Mido was again targeted by some Newcastle fans while warming up before Middlesbrough's 0–0 draw, with claims of racist chanting being investigated by The FA.[110] He revelaed his anger at The FA's investigation, believing that they would make no difference over the abuse.[111] Two men were eventually arrested over the chanting and were due to appear at Teesside Magistrates Court.[112]
He has earned 48 caps for Egypt and scored 19 goals. Mido scored on his international debut against the United Arab Emirates, which Egypt won 2–1.[74] Mido sent a fax to the Egypt team to tell them he was not available for international selection in May 2004, saying he was not psychologically fit to join the team.[113] Mido was a part of the Egypt squad that played at the 2004 African Cup of Nations.[43]
Egypt coach Marco Tardelli dropped Mido in September 2004, after Mido claimed to be unavailable for the national team due to an injury, but played in a friendly match for A.S. Roma 24 hours later.[114][115] A day later, Mido rejected accusations that he refused to play for his country.[116] Also, the Egyptian Football Association announced that he would not play for the team again. However, Tardelli was sacked as Egypt coach and in January 2005 the Egyptian Football Association said they would consider bringing Mido back into the team if he were to apologise for his past behaviour.[74] Mido flew to Cairo in February 2005 and made a public apology and the following month he was recalled by the national team.[117][115] Mido withdrew from Egypt's 2006 World Cup qualifier against Cameroon, after sustaining a muscle tear while playing with Tottenham Hotspur.[118]
Mido was thrown out of the Egypt team during the 2006 African Cup of Nations as a consequence of an argument with coach Hassan Shehata in the semi-final game against Senegal, which started after Mido reacted badly to being substituted. His replacement Amr Zaki came on to score a header with his first touch, putting Egypt into the final.[119] A day later, Mido reconciled with Shehata, but was given a six-month suspension from playing with Egypt.[120] Mido was eventually recalled by the side following his suspension, ready for the 2008 African Cup of Nations qualification.[121] Mido was included in the Egypt squad to play South Africa in London in November 2006, despite suffering from a knee injury at the time.[122] He was however left out of the Egypt squad to play Mauritania in an African Nations Cup qualifier in March 2007.[123]
Awards | ||
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Preceded by Hervé Nzelo-Lembi |
Belgian Ebony Shoe 2001 |
Succeeded by Moumouni Dagano |
Preceded by Pedro Mantorras |
CAF Young Player of the Year 2002 |
Succeeded by Obafemi Martins |
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Persondata | |
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NAME | الحميد, Ahmed Hossam Hussein Abdelhamid Arabic: "ميدو"أحمد حسام حسين عبد |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mido |
SHORT DESCRIPTION | |
DATE OF BIRTH | 1983-2-23 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Cairo
, Egypt |
DATE OF DEATH | |
PLACE OF DEATH |