Premier League misfit Mido reveals why he almost KILLED Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a pair of scissors
Former Egypt international tells all about extraordinary bust-up after Ajax loss to hated rivals PSV Eindhoven
PREM misfit Mido has revealed how he “almost killed” Manchester United’s new star Zlatan Ibrahimovic . . . with a pair of scissors.
The extraordinary bust-up happened in the Ajax dressing room after a defeat to hated rivals PSV Eindhoven in 2003.
Egyptian Mido, who went on to flop at Tottenham, Middlesbrough and Wigan, refused to pass to his then team-mate when he came on as a substitute.
He was sulking after being dumped on the bench for the game.
And in Ibrahimovic’s own explosive autobiography he wrote that, after the match, Mido “came into the locker room and called us all miserable c****”.
Ibrahimovic, who has joined United on a free from Paris Saint-Germain, continued: “I responded by saying if anybody was a c*** it was him. Mido picked up a pair of scissors and flung them at me. It was completely nuts. The scissors whizzed past my head, straight into the concrete wall and made a crack.”
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The scissors missed Ibrahimovic’s head by inches and would have caused serious damage.
Now, for the first time, Mido has revealed why he totally lost it with the superstar Swede, 34.
Speaking on new Swedish documentary, Becoming Zlatan, retired striker Mido, 33, said: “I was very upset I didn’t start that game.
“When I came on, we were 2-0 down, I think, and I started arguing with Zlatan on the pitch.
“I was shouting at everyone and Zlatan was shouting back at me.
“I had scissors in my hand as I was taking off the wrapping on my ankles. Ten minutes later, I went into the shower and he was sitting at the Jacuzzi.
“We just looked at each other and started laughing. I said to Zlatan: ‘You know that I almost killed you?’ And he said: ‘Yeah, I know.’
You don’t understand how people were following me back in Egypt. I was the only player from there playing at the top level.
“So people were waiting for the Ajax game. They would say: ‘Ajax will play today, so we have to sit and watch Mido.’
“All the coffee shops, the restaurants — everywhere was just waiting for the Ajax game.
“My attitude has always been: ‘If I’m not playing, you have a personal problem with me.’
“When I got to the point where I had to fight a lot for my position, I handled things the wrong way.”
The incident left then Ajax boss Ronald Koeman, who is now in charge of Everton, with little choice.
Mido was shipped out on loan to Celta Vigo and then sold in the summer to Marseille.
However, the two players quickly made up and have been friends ever since then.
And, according to Ibrahimovic, the scissors were kept by the team manager as a souvenir. Mido said: “It was easy to be friends with Zlatan, we just laughed a lot back then. We were just young kids with money and fame.”
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Meanwhile, Fabio Capello reckons he put Ibrahimovic on the path to superstardom — by stopping him becoming a circus act.
The former England boss signed the striker for the Turin club from Ajax for £13million in 2004.
It was during two seasons with Juventus in Serie A that he stopped fighting with team-mates and started fulfilling his huge potential.
In a revealing interview for the documentary, Capello, 70, said: “I told Zlatan: ‘You have the potential to become No 1 in the world.’
“I kept telling him: ‘The circus is all show. Your circus acts are for fans who don’t understand soccer and just want entertainment.
“But there’s no substance. None.’
“At Juventus, work is taken very seriously. You work for the team, the club, and to improve yourself.
“He realised he had joined an exceptional group of players, who lead decent, private lives and made sacrifices.
“He committed because he felt trusted. I recognised a top player in him. That is when he started to improve and evolve into a leader.”
Ibrahimovic had been a difficult character to coach during his early years at Ajax.
In fact, he was so cocky about his talent that he would challenge Dutch football legend Marco van Basten in training sessions.
When Ibrahimovic arrived at the club from Malmo in 2004, Van Basten was a part-time coach.
Van Basten, 51, explained: “He was always interested if I had something to say. He knew what I had done before.
“But he was also, at the same time, wanting to play with me. To challenge me, to see if I could do all these things.
“So I said: ‘You are acting like a big star. But show it to me’.”
Becoming Zlatan, which contains never-seen-before footage of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, will be released on DVD and digital download on August 15.