Clinical finishing, remarkable stamina, prowess, tenacity and work rate. What else does Amr Zaki need to become one of the best strikers in the world? That's how I started an article about the Bulldozer back in September, but I've later realized I missed an indispensible feature; professionalism. Nightmare, unprofessional and disrespectful were the words uttered by Wigan boss Steve Bruce to label his top marksman this season, which proves that personal discipline comes first in football, I mean in the real football. Zaki was embroiled in a number of off-field problems during his Zamalek days, but the Cairo club's downfall was considered as an excuse for him, and it was believed that Europe would be his redemption. However, making the same mistake, which is honestly silly, four times in his first season abroad, just gives an impression that he doesn't care about his own career as long as he had made the 'dream move'. Maybe Bruce was inclined to tolerate Zaki's repeated behavior at the start of the season because of one factor; goals. Now the big man's goal-drought plus lack of commitment is impossible to withstand. Zaki simply stopped scoring since December, yet, the recent stumble wouldn't have acted against his chances of securing a permanent deal because the Europeans know how to deal with inconsistency in the long run. But no one can deal with disrespect…except some Egyptian clubs of course. What is really astonishing is the 26-year-old's handling of the situation; no reply, no apology and no explanation other than a pretentious appearance at the stands of a mediocre Confederation Cup game on Friday. His stance in the recent dialogue with Mido was also negative; he could have at least said something to clear the air. But 'refuses to comment' is really childish in this particular row. Mistakes are possible for any human, but repeating the same error and making no attempt to solve the problem is another case. In October 2008, people were talking about Real Madrid for Zaki, now I think that a return to ENPPI might suit him. It would be too disappointing to see another Egyptian talent wasted because of issues not related to football. However, I think he still has a chance to redeem himself if he offered an apology and vowed to learn from his mistakes because he is some talent.
