Middlesbrough finally get rid of underachieving Mido

Egyptian striker Mido has proved a massive disappointment in the English game and has finally left the country for Dutch giants Ajax.

He joins the Eredivisie side on a free transfer after a rather miserable spell at Middlesbrough.

Loan Spells

He joined Boro in 2007 but has had loan spells at Wigan, Zamalek and West Ham. At every club he played for the fans complained that he wasn’t good enough.

And in those three loan spells he scored just three goals. Even in his second spell in his home league he only found the net once in 15 appearances.

Nomad

He has become something of a footballing nomad. He has played for 10 clubs in his career at the age of just 27 years of age. Most players don’t even play for that amount of clubs in their whole career. Every club who sign him believe they can get the best out of him but very few managers have got a performance out of the striker.

Attitude

His lack of performance has often been put down to a poor attitude and it seems to have plagued him throughout his career. I don’t think anybody can change Mido’s attitude it seems to be part of his personality.

He won’t suddenly become a well-balanced individual because it’s not in his make-up. He seems too stubborn to change anything about his game. He possesses some sort of footballing talent but his attitude lets him down. Boro boss Gordon Strachan didn’t even think he was good enough to play in the Championship.

Return

Mido enjoyed his most prolific spell of his career in Amsterdam, scoring 12 goals in 24 appearances for the Amsterdamer’s. His performance with Ajax earned him a move to La Liga with Celta Vigo.

Maybe a return to Amsterdam will suit the enigmatic striker. He has struggled in the English game and maybe a move to the lower standard of the Eredivisie could help him perform better than he has in recent years.

International Record

Mido’s scoring record at international level isn’t too bad. He has scored 19 goals in 51 appeareances for his country. That rate is far better than his rate at club level. Maybe the quality of opposition had something to do with his stats or maybe he feels more motivated for his country.

Unsure

Ajax boss Martin Jol didn’t exactly sing his praises when he commented on his new signing. The Dutchman told Ajax’s official website: “We needed an extra striker and we have limited resources which have to be considered.”

What that comment says to me is that Mido was a cheap option to pad out his squad slightly. Usually a manager will comment on the strengths of the player, rather than just claiming he was a cheap extra body for his squad. That suggests that he may not get much playing time at the Amsterdam Arena.

Good Riddance

A lot of fans of the clubs that Mido has played for in England will be glad that the Egyptian has now left our shores. They won’t have to watch the striker sulk around our pitches like a baby that lost their dummy. Good Luck Mido, you need all the luck you can get.