Mohamed Zidan facts for kids
Zidan celebrating Dortmund's Bundesliga win in 2011
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed Zidan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 December 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Port Said, Egypt | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1999 | Al Masry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | AB | 51 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Midtjylland | 47 | (30) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2005 | → Werder Bremen (loan) | 10 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Werder Bremen | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | → Mainz 05 (loan) | 26 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Mainz 05 | 15 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Hamburger SV | 21 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Borussia Dortmund | 66 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Mainz 05 | 12 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Baniyas | 9 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | El Entag El Harby | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 244 | (90) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2012 | Egypt | 41 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed Zidan (Arabic: محمد عبد الله محمد زيدان; born December 11, 1981) is a former professional football player from Egypt. He was known for playing as a striker, which means he was a forward player who focused on scoring goals. Zidan had a successful career playing for several clubs in Europe, especially in Germany, and also represented the Egyptian national team.
Contents
Club Career
Starting Out in Football
Mohamed Zidan was born in Port Said, Egypt. He began his football journey as a striker for his hometown club, El Masry, in 1998. After a short time, his family moved to Denmark. In Denmark, Zidan was discovered by the Danish Superliga club Akademisk Boldklub (AB) in 1999.
In June 2003, he moved to another Danish club, FC Midtjylland (FCM). At FCM, he became one of the top scorers in the 2003–04 season. He was even named the "Rookie of the Year" and then "Player of the Year" the next season. He scored 30 goals in 47 games for FC Midtjylland. Their stadium was even nicknamed "Zidan Arena" because he scored so many goals there!
Playing in Germany: Werder Bremen and Mainz 05
Zidan's great performance in Denmark caught the eye of many big European clubs. In 2005, he was loaned to the German club Werder Bremen. Later that year, Werder Bremen bought him.
On August 31, 2005, Zidan was loaned to Mainz for the 2005–06 season. He scored nine goals in 26 games for Mainz. He continued to play well, even scoring four goals in pre-season games for Werder Bremen in 2006. He was named "man of the match" in a cup game against Hamburger SV in August 2006.
However, after some injuries, Zidan played less for Werder Bremen. In January 2007, he moved back to Mainz permanently. This was a big deal for Mainz, as it was their most expensive player purchase ever! He quickly scored six goals in his first five games with Mainz, helping the team move up in the league. Fans loved Zidan for his skills and goals. He even scored a goal against Werder Bremen in just 14 seconds, which was one of the fastest goals in Bundesliga history!
Zidan once said he dreamed of playing for big clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, or Manchester United. Even though Zidan scored many amazing goals, his efforts were not enough to save Mainz from being moved down to the second division in the 2007 season.
Moving to Hamburger SV
After Mainz was relegated, many top clubs were interested in Zidan. On June 3, 2007, Zidan joined Hamburger SV. He was given the number 7 shirt. He scored his first official goal for Hamburger SV in a cup match. He also scored his first Bundesliga goal for HSV against Bayern Munich, which was a significant goal as it ended Bayern's undefeated start to the season.
Success with Borussia Dortmund
Zidan's time at Hamburg was short. On August 17, 2008, he moved to Borussia Dortmund. This move reunited him with his former coach from Mainz, Jürgen Klopp. Zidan was given the number 10 shirt. He played his first game for Borussia Dortmund on August 23, 2008, against Bayern Munich.
In April 2010, Zidan got a knee injury that kept him from playing for about six months. Despite this, Borussia Dortmund had a fantastic season. On May 3, 2011, Borussia Dortmund became champions of the Bundesliga for the first time since 2002, with Zidan being part of the winning team. They also won the Bundesliga again in the 2011–12 season.
Back to Mainz and Later Career
On January 31, 2012, Zidan returned to his former club, Mainz. He made history by scoring in each of his first six games for Mainz, a record in the Bundesliga for a new player! He also helped Mainz win a game against Köln by scoring once and assisting two other goals.
After this, Zidan moved to the Emirati club Baniyas in July 2012. He signed a two-year contract there. However, he later said that his time in the UAE was "the biggest mistake" of his life. He left the club after his contract ended.
International Career
Zidan also had an important career playing for the Egyptian national team.
Early Challenges and Return
Before the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, there was some confusion about Zidan joining the national team. He later explained that he had a leg injury, which prevented him from playing. There was also talk about him possibly playing for the Denmark national team if Egypt didn't want him.
However, in August 2006, the Egyptian coach called Zidan back to the national team. He scored his first international goal against Burundi in a qualification match for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
Africa Cup of Nations Success
Zidan played a key role in Egypt's success in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. In their first match against Cameroon, he scored two goals, helping Egypt win 4–2. This was a big step towards defending their title.
In the final of the 2008 tournament, also against Cameroon, Zidan helped set up the winning goal for Mohamed Aboutrika. This helped Egypt win the tournament!
Zidan also played in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he scored two goals against Brazil in a close 4–3 loss.
He was called up again for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. He scored a goal against Algeria in the semi-final, which Egypt won 4–0. In the final, he again helped set up the winning goal, this time for Mohamed Nagy Gedo, securing another Africa Cup of Nations title for Egypt.
Zidan's international career ended after he reportedly chose to discuss a club deal in China instead of playing a crucial qualification match for Egypt.
Personal Life
Mohamed Zidan also holds German citizenship.
He married his long-time girlfriend, Stina, in 2014 in Germany. They have two children together, born in 2009 and 2014. In 2015, Zidan moved back to Cairo, Egypt. In 2017, he married his current wife, Menas, and they have a son born in 2018.
Career as an Analyst
In 2014, Zidan started working as a football analyst for the beIN SPORTS channel. He would share his expert opinions on matches involving German football clubs.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AB | 2000–01 | Danish Superliga | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02 | Danish Superliga | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| 2002–03 | Danish Superliga | 29 | 11 | — | — | — | 29 | 11 | ||||
| Total | 51 | 12 | — | — | — | 51 | 12 | |||||
| Midtjylland | 2003–04 | Danish Superliga | 30 | 19 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 19 | ||
| 2004–05 | Danish Superliga | 17 | 11 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 19 | 14 | |||
| Total | 47 | 30 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 50 | 33 | ||||
| Werder Bremen (loan) | 2004–05 | Bundesliga | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | |||
| Mainz 05 (loan) | 2005–06 | Bundesliga | 26 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 10 | |
| Werder Bremen | 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 2 | |
| Mainz 05 | 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 15 | 13 | — | — | — | 15 | 13 | |||
| Hamburger SV | 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 21 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1 | — | 33 | 4 | |
| 2008–09 | Bundesliga | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 21 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 1 | — | 34 | 4 | |||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2008–09 | Bundesliga | 29 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 7 | |
| 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 27 | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 30 | 8 | |||
| 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 66 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 73 | 15 | |||
| Mainz 05 | 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 12 | 7 | — | — | — | 12 | 7 | |||
| Baniyas | 2012–13 | UAE Pro League | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 11 | 4 | ||
| El Entag El Harby | 2015–16 | Egyptian Premier League | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 265 | 92 | 18 | 9 | 14 | 1 | — | 297 | 102 | |||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 2005 | 3 | 0 |
| 2006 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2009 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 3 | 2 | |
| Total | 41 | 11 | |
- Scores and results list Egypt's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zidan goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 September 2006 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |  Burundi |
1–0 | 4–1 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 25 March 2007 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |  Mauritania |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 22 January 2008 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana |  Cameroon |
2–0 | 4–2 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 4 | 3–0 | |||||
| 5 | 15 June 2009 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa |  Brazil |
1–1 | 3–4 | 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 6 | 3–3 | |||||
| 7 | 28 January 2010 | Estádio Nacional de Ombaka, Benguela, Angola |  Algeria |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2010 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 8 | 3 March 2010 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  England |
1–0 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 9 | 17 November 2010 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |  Australia |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 1 June 2012 | Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt |  Mozambique |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 15 June 2012 | Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt |  Central African Republic |
1–0 | 2–3 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
Honours
Werder Bremen
- DFL-Ligapokal: 2006
Borussia Dortmund
Egypt
- Africa Cup of Nations: 2008, 2010
Individual
- Danish Superliga top scorer: 2003–04 (shared)
- FC Midtjylland Player of the Year: 2003–04, 2004–05
- Africa Cup of Nations Best XI: 2010
See also
In Spanish: Mohamed Zidan para niños
