Zamalek striker Mido says he will retire from professional football should the Cairo giants fail to claim the Egyptian Premier League title this season. The winter signing, who has been working hard for weeks to regain match fitness, was labeled by some critics of late as an 'overweight player'. Some pundits also said the nomadic Mido is absurdly overpaid at Zamalek, even though 'he won't be an influential addition to the Whites' squad'. The towering hitman replied to the criticism by saying on Egyptian TV: "Everyone knows who Mido is, and the doubters need to understand that I haven't been paid a dime since my arrival. "My reply will be on the pitch. I came from Ajax (Amsterdam) in case you (critics) know anything about European football … I will retire if we don't win the league this year." Mido, who parted company with Dutch side Ajax early in January before joining Zamalek for the third time, also shrugged off his weight problems. "The league resumes on April 15, you can judge me then. "Speaking of cash, I dare say there is no player in the history of Egyptian football made as much money as me. It's not what I'm after," he added. Mido, one the best talents Zamalek's youth system has ever nurtured, established himself as a professional footballer when he was just a teenager at the capital club. Shortly afterwards, he kicked off a long journey in Europe. Among other outfits, Mido plied his trade at Gent, Marseille, AS Roma, Tottenham Hotspur and Celta Vigo. His only stint outside the Old Continent over the past decade was at Zamalek last season, when he returned to the five-time African champions on a year-long loan from Middlesbrough. However, Mido failed to impress under the management of Hossam Hassan, scoring one goal in the first half of the season before moving to West Ham United in the winter of 2010.
