Mido's Mission: Nurturing Egypt's Future Football Stars
Mido, a former Egyptian striker known for his controversial playing days, is now dedicated to discovering and nurturing the next generation of football talent in his homeland.
While Mohamed Salah shines as one of the Premier League's top stars at Liverpool and fellow Egyptian Omar Marmoush recently joined Manchester City, Mido believes that Egypt is not reaching its full potential in football.
"The disparity between the number of Egyptian players in Europe and those from other leading African football nations is significant," Mido, 42, told World Football on the BBC World Service. "Having only four or five players in Europe is not sufficient for a country of 120 million people with a rich football history and abundant talent."
Mido is leveraging the lessons from his own career to mentor young athletes at his academy, The Maker, located in Cairo. He experienced a nomadic career, playing for 11 different clubs across seven countries over 14 years before retiring at the age of 30 in 2013.
Throughout his career, Mido faced challenges, including conflicts with coaches at Ajax under Ronald Koeman and with the Egyptian national team, first with Marco Tardelli and later with Hassan Shehata.
"I am not ashamed to use myself as an example," Mido stated. "I remind the boys that while I played for prestigious clubs, I could have achieved more. I have no regrets because that is just who I am. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would likely make the same mistakes. However, I learned that I sometimes gave up too easily and often chose the easier path of moving to another club. I emphasize to them the importance of having the right mindset if they want to succeed at the highest levels."
‘We’re All Here to Dream’
Mido currently trains around 100 boys at The Maker and hopes to expand the program to include girls. He emphasizes the importance of mental strength and adaptability to enhance their chances of succeeding in Europe.
"We have an excellent psychology team working with the kids daily," he explained. "Most of our boys speak very good English. Many Egyptians face challenges adapting due to language barriers, which can hinder communication with new teammates. Understanding different cultures is essential."
"If you possess the right mindset, physical strength, multilingual skills, tactical awareness, and of course, technical abilities, you can succeed in Europe," he added.
Mido began his playing career with Zamalek and returned for two additional spells at the club. Despite Egyptian clubs dominating the African Champions League in recent years, winning five of the last six titles, Mido's ultimate ambition is for his young players at The Maker to establish themselves in Europe.
"Our main goal is to place at least four or five players in Europe," he said. "We dream that within ten years, we will have 60-70 players graduating from this training program and playing across Europe. We will continue to monitor their progress and support their development, even after they move abroad. For me, it is incredibly fulfilling to help young kids pursue their dreams. The most rewarding part is witnessing the hope in their eyes. We are all here to dream together."