In the summer of 2007, Egyptian forward Mido was at a crossroads.
Still only 24, he had already played in the top flights of Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, and England.
After an explosive loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur - where he scored 11 Premier League goals and showcased his physical, often unpredictable attacking style, Mido's stock was high, even if his reputation for controversy followed closely behind.
Middlesbrough’s £6m gamble on the Egyptian striker backfired
Mido Middlesbrough
Both Sunderland and Birmingham City registered serious interest in Mido, with Steve Bruce, then managing Birmingham, leading negotiations for a £6 million deal.
However, the proposed move collapsed over personal terms, with wage demands and contract length proving insurmountable.
Sunderland, newly promoted under Roy Keane, also explored a deal before ultimately withdrawing.
Mido at Middlesbrough (via TransferMarkt)
Appearances
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Instead, it was Middlesbrough who secured his signature, agreeing a £6 million fee and offering favourable personal terms. The move was framed as a statement of intent for a club seeking to rebuild after the departures of key cult forwards Mark Viduka and Yakubu.
Mido made an immediate impact, scoring on his Boro debut against Fulham - yet any optimism quickly dissipated.
Persistent injuries, inconsistent performances, and a lack of tactical continuity under rookie manager Gareth Southgate undermined Mido’s spell at the Riverside.
Within months, Boro had turned to another record signing - Afonso Alves - effectively relegating Mido to a peripheral role. What followed was a string of loan spells, including underwhelming stints at Wigan and West Ham, and a rapid descent into footballing obscurity.
Mido’s decline justified transfer rejections from Birmingham City and Sunderland
Mido Middlesbrough -1
In retrospect, Sunderland and Birmingham’s caution paid off. Though both clubs had been keen, they dodged a bullet by refusing to match Mido’s financial demands.
Mido himself has since acknowledged the misjudgement. In interviews, he has expressed regret over leaving Tottenham, where he had previously enjoyed a successful loan spell and found relative stability.
At Middlesbrough, he found neither. The club’s regression, combined with his own struggles for form and fitness, marked a tenure more by controversy than contribution.
By the time he retired at 30, following a brief and unproductive spell at Barnsley, Mido had become emblematic of unfulfilled potential.
His career, which once promised elite-level success, instead serves as a cautionary tale for clubs enticed by past reputation over long-term reliability.
For Middlesbrough, the £6 million outlay yielded minimal return. In contrast, Sunderland and Birmingham emerged unscathed - having assessed the risk and stepped away before it was too late.
Their decision not to proceed with the transfer, once seen as a missed opportunity, has since proven a clear case of sound judgement prevailing over impulse.
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