Mido's dreams of Cup glory lifted by draw
MISSING out on Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations victory might have been one of the biggest disappointments of his career, but Middlesbrough striker Mido is hoping an FA Cup winners' medal will eradicate the pain of his international misfortune.
While his compatriots were retaining their Cup of Nations trophy in Ghana two weeks ago, Mido was finalising his recovery from a painful pubic injury that sidelined him for the best part of four months.
The 24-year-old was delighted to see Egypt triumph over Cameroon in this year's final but, having also missed out on the side's 2006 triumph following a fall-out with manager Hassan Shehata, the success represented another missed opportunity.
With his return to full fitness almost complete, Mido made his first start since mid-October on Sunday as Middlesbrough earned an FA Cup fifth-round replay with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Sheffield United.
And with yesterday's quarter-final draw having paired the Teessiders with Championship side Cardiff City if they come through next Wednesday's replay, the former Tottenham striker is hoping an FA Cup success will more than compensate for his Cup of Nations dismay.
"It was a massive disappointment to miss out on what happened in Ghana," said Mido. "I wanted to be with the national team, and watching them win the competition was strange. They did fantastically, but I wish I was there.
"I spoke to Mohamed (Shawky) a number of times during the competition and everyone involved in Egyptian football was obviously delighted with what happened. I was really happy for all the lads because I thought Egypt were the best team in the tournament and deserved to win.
"But I was disappointed not to be a part of it. I've missed out on one trophy because of my injury, but hopefully I can make up for it by helping Middlesbrough to win the FA Cup. It has been a difficult season for me, but it could still turn into one of the best of my life."
Having already missed the opening two games of the season because of his protracted move from Tottenham, Mido's injury problems began in earnest when he injured his pubic bone in October's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.
At first, the problem appeared to be innocuous, but every time he attempted to step up his recovery, the slightest break into a run would place intolerable pressure upon his injured bone.
Swimming and cycling were permissible, but an inability to even jog led to the most frustrating three months of the African's career.
"My injury was an absolute nightmare," said Mido. "I couldn't jog, I couldn't really do anything for three months.
"I've been doing stuff like swimming and cycling, but it's not the same as running. It wasn't just that I couldn't sprint, I couldn't even do a light jog. Any running was putting pressure on the pubic bone and it left me in agony. It was really frustrating.
"It has been the worst injury of my life by a long way. It's even worse that damaging your knee or your leg because you feel OK but you can't do anything."
To make matters worse, when Mido did return to first-team action, he was in no condition to do himself justice.
The three-month lay-off had seen his weight balloon and left him chronically short of match practice, problems that quickly became apparent during substitute appearances against Mansfield and Wigan.
Mido requested a meeting with Boro boss Gareth Southgate after the Wigan game and asked to be excluded from first-team affairs until he had been able to build up his fitness to an acceptable level.
That process remains ongoing but, as his second-half performance in Sunday's goalless draw proved, he is almost back to the kind of position that enabled him to score two goals in his first two games as a Boro player.
"I've been working very hard in the last couple of weeks," said Mido, who claims the arrival of record signing Afonso Alves has made him even more determined to succeed at the Riverside.
"I had a chat with the gaffer two weeks ago and told him I wanted to do my best to get back to full fitness. I didn't want to be back in the side when I wasn't fit because I was going to be useless for the team.
"We agreed I would concentrate on my fitness in the week before the Newcastle game and, by the time that game came around, it was obvious I still wasn't fit enough to play.
"I've been working really hard with the medical staff and physios to get to a position where I could do myself justice. Thankfully, I'm just about there now.
"Things were a little bit better at Sheffield and I'm sure the next couple of games will get me back to top form."
David Wheater will miss next week's replay with Sheffield United after picking up his fifth booking of the season at Bramall Lane. Robert Huth missed Sunday's draw with a foot injury, but is hoping to be back in contention for this weekend's Premier League trip to Liverpool.
Boro's fifth-round replay has been put back 24 hours to Wednesday, February 27 (ko 8.05pm) to accommodate live television coverage on the BBC.
Tickets will go on sale to season-ticket holders from 9.30am this morning from the Riverside ticket office, priced at £12 for adults and £5 for over-65s and under-16s. Season cardholders must purchase their tickets by 4pm on Saturday, February 23.
All seats not currently occupied by season-ticket holders will go on general sale at 9.30 am this Thursday, priced £15 and £5.
Any unclaimed season-ticket seats will go on general sale at 10am on February 24 when all adult prices will revert to £15
2:02am Tuesday 19th February 2008
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