Former Tottenham striker Mido has revealed leaving the Londoners was one of the “biggest mistakes” of his career.
Mido joined Spurs from in January 2005 from AS Roma on an initial 18-month loan deal that was eventually made permanent.
The Egyptian scored 20 goals in 63 appearances for the club and was well liked by the supporters before leaving for Middlesbrough.
He also played for Wigan Athletic and West Ham United in the Premier League before returning to his first ever club, Egyptian side Zamalek, who he also managed for a brief time.
Mido was in attendence during Tottenham’s 3-1 victory over Fulham on Saturday at Wembley, where he was asked about his time in north London.
“I had some great days and made great friends. It was an honour to play for Tottenham,” Mido said, via the club’s official website.
“I wish I had stayed (longer). One of the biggest mistakes throughout my career was to decide to leave. Tottenham is a great club and I’m still a great fan. I follow every game and I’m very glad we’re doing well.”
The 35-year-old played alongside Jermaine Defoe, Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov at Spurs and was asked about the partnerships he formed with those strikers.
“We had great strikers. It was amazing to play with Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov. I played with Fredi Kanoute as well,” Mido added.
“We played with two strikers back then under Martin Jol. He always liked the 4-4-2 system. It was great to play with those players – great players.”
Now focusing on a career in management, Mido spoke about what type of coach he is and his aspirations for the future.
“I’m calmer now but you don’t want to upset me! When you are a manager, you are responsible for everyone, your staff, your players, the whole football club sometimes.
“You need to be calm to make the right decisions. I was lucky I started the job early and I’ve learned a lot through the jobs I’ve had already.
“It’s so much pressure but once you get into coaching, you can’t get out of it. But I love the pressure – I enjoy it.”
“I managed Zamalek, one of the biggest clubs in Africa, and we won the Egyptian Cup, then (I managed) two other teams.
“Now I’m studying and looking forward to my next step, watching a lot of games, trying to meet a lot of managers, trying to learn. I want to be readier before taking my next step.”
Tottenham’s next outing will be against Manchester United at Old Trafford next Monday.
