Photo: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images
Former Egypt striker Ahmed Hossam Mido has discussed his first phase of playing in the Egyptian Premier League before making his first move to Europe with Gent in Belgium as well as highlighting on the importance of education in football.
Mido started off by getting asked about the teams he played for as a tradition in the Soccer AM podcast “Zamalek, Gent, Ajax, Celta Vigo, Marseille, Roma, Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Wigan, West Ham, and Barnsley.” said the Egyptian forward.
Then he moved on to getting asked about the clubs he managed “Zamalek, Ismaily, and Wadi Degla. I’m so lucky to have managed two of the biggest clubs in the Middle East: Zamalek and Ismaily.”
He moved on to talk about how much he loves coaching more than playing football. “I love coaching, I love being in charge and being the decision maker. As a player, it’s hard to do this but for a coach, this is my job. I love being in charge and for me as a coach when I see all my methods working well it’s the best thing ever.”
“Zamalek is my boyhood club, my dad used to play for Zamalek too. I started there as an 8-year-old and I made my official debut aged 16 then I traveled. I’m proud that I managed the club and I have many fond memories here. I was honored to manage the club and being the sports director and head of the academy too.” Mido said.
“As a kid, my mother wanted me to study but I opted for playing football, I knew I was going to be a big player, she thought I was crazy. I am convinced that everyone needs to concentrate on their education. In the past FIFA meeting we were talking about education and how important it is for kids to get proper education. It’s important that kids don’t opt for football over education.”
“A lot of football players struggle when they retire because they aren’t educated. We talked about this point with Mr. Infantino and he will take it into consideration to force clubs to keep their young players in the school. I wouldn’t accept that my son doesn’t go to school to play football, and he’s a very good player. He needs to get a proper education to become a good football player.”
“I never had a problem moving around Europe but the only problem I had is that it slowed down my development. I would advice young players to not do what I did which is moving to many clubs in short periods. They should stay in a club for 4 years to fully develop of course unless they get an offer from a big club with regular game time.”
“The Premier League for me was the only league I could reach and watch when I was 14-15. It was the only broadcasted league from the top 5 leagues. Everyone’s dream is to play in the Premier League. My first move to Belgium was very hard I suffered home sickness Belgium is much more difficult especially for my age. I struggled to get used to the tempo of the game and the pressure of the training.”
“What makes you adapt quicker in Europe is playing regularly and scoring goals. When I started playing well all the coaches started supporting me as well as the fans. I was on my own in Belgium, I remember sleeping in the motel for three months and going to training by the train. It wasn’t easy at all.”
