Former Tottenham Striker Laments His 'Biggest Mistake' in Leaving North London Club
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Mido has spoken of his regret at leaving the North London club back in 2007, describing the decision as one of his 'biggest' mistakes.
The 35-year-old made a guest appearance at Wembley Stadium during the host's 3-1 win over Fulham, and spoke of the 'honour' he had playing for the club, adding he wished he had stayed longer.
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Speaking to the Club's official website, Mido said: “I had some great days and made great friends. It was an honour to play for Tottenham. 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.”
Despite not being the most prolific marksman in the history of the Lilywhites, the Egyptian forward spent two and a half memorable seasons at White Hart Lane from 2005, initially as a loanee from Italian side Roma.
During his first 18 months with Spurs, Mido netted at a ratio of one goal every three games (13 from 36), and joined the elite Spurs club of players who scored twice on their debut alongside the likes of Chris Waddle, Clive Allen and Jimmy Greaves.
“The fans have always been great to me, since day one,” the striker said. “I was lucky that I started well – my first game, two goals.
"I remember I played for an hour. I wasn’t 100 per cent fit because for two or three months before that I wasn’t playing regularly for Roma.”
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Upon moving permanently to North London, Mido found lesser success mainly due to injury. One year later he started bouncing back and forth between Egypt and Europe, playing for Middlesbrough, Wigan, Zamalek, West Ham, Ajax and Barnley before retiring ,without coming close to repeating his form from his loan season at Tottenham.
