It wasn't much of a surprise when Ahmed Hossam Mido announced his retirement on Twitter. “Today I announce that I'm quitting football. I want to thank all those who supported me during my football career, especially Egypt fans.” With those few words, Egypt's most famous international bid farewell but few seemed to really care, Inas Mazhar reports. Though Mido is considered the most successful international footballer in the history of Egyptian football, reaction was almost indifferent to his decision. Mido has been making appearances on Twitter more than on football pitches during the past years, criticising and mocking players, coaches, officials and politicians. Mido, 30, spent last season at Championship side Barnsley but only made one appearance for the club before being released by mutual consent in January and has failed to find a club since. His career has taken in spells in seven countries and seen him earn 51 international caps for Egypt, scoring 20 goals. Mido started his career with Zamalek in Egypt in 1999. He left the club for Gent of Belgium in 2000, where he won the Belgian Ebony Shoe which earned him a move to Dutch side Ajax in 2001, from where he joined Celta Vigo of Spain on loan in 2003. Marseille in France was his following destination and he left them for Italian side Roma in 2004. He joined English side Tottenham Hotspur on an 18-month loan in 2005 and eventually joined the club permanently in 2006. He left the club in 2007 to join Middlesbrough, from whom he joined Wigan Athletic, Zamalek, West Ham United and Ajax on loan. In 2011, he rejoined Zamalek, before joining Barnsley in 2012. The striker is perhaps best known for his time in the Premier League with Tottenham, and especially the 2005-06 campaign where he scored 11 goals as the club narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification. But his row with former Egypt coach Hassan Shehata at the semi-final of the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations was the most famous incident in his football career. Since then, Mido, has never played officially for the Pharaohs. On a popular TV show The pitch of the Capital, Mido's father, Hossam Wasfi, announced that his 30 year-old-son has been thinking about retiring for a year and that his return to Zamalek club affected his son's professional career. «Mido had several offers from Real Cuidad of Spain, one from the Gulf and England. But he has decided to take on coaching instead and will start his career in England. I wish him the best of luck,» Wasfi said. Zamalek fans thought Mido would run for board elections. «I think my son is still young for that,” Wasfi added. Ahli's Mohamed Barakat announcement was different. He is extremely popular among Ahli fans and was the dynamo behind some of the club's and Egypt's greatest victories. Barakat's retirement was announced by the club's football director Sayed Abdel-Hafeez. The former BBC Africa Player of the year in 2005 was born on 20 November 1976. The right winger, right-footed attacking midfielder and playmaker started his career at an early age at Sekka Al-Hadid club before moving to Ismailia and playing for the Arabi club of Qatar, Ahli Jeddah and finally ending his career with Ahli of Egypt. When he won the BBC award he told Al-Ahram Weekly then, “I can still remember the days when my mother used to come to school and argue with the headmaster and take me out of school to go for training. She believed in me and it paid off.” Barakat is seen by many as one of the most talented players in Africa nowadays. Barakat's hallmarks are surging runs from midfield which often disrupt opposing defences as well as a box-to-box work ethic which makes him an important figure both in defence and attack. He carried the nickname of “The Mercurial”. He reached his peak in 2005 and 2006, helping his club Ahli win the CAF Champions League 2005 and CAF Champions League 2006. For Egypt he helped win their fifth African Cup of Nations Egypt in 2006. However, in 2006 his career was marred by a long spell of injuries. From 2002 to 2009, Barakat played 70 caps with the Pharaohs scoring nine goals.
